With gas at $4 a gallon in the Austin area it seems like a great time for everybody to rethink how often we use our cars and give some thought to changing the way we commute.Along those lines Capital Metro will be participating in next week’s National Dump the Pump Day. The idea behind Dump the Pump Day is to encourage everybody to find a way to get where they are going that day (school, work, shopping) that doesn’t involve a single-passenger car. It doesn’t have to be public transit – it could be sharing the ride with a neighbor that day, dusting off the bike and pumping up the tires and cycling, or even enjoying the fresh air and sunshine of a walk. The idea is to try something that breaks the “routine” of just hopping in the car and burning fossil fuel.
Capital Metro has two events planned around Dump the Pump Day. First off we’ll be out at Highland Mall this Saturday from noon to 4pm with a couple of laptops offering free personalized trip plans on Capital Metro (we’re calling them “Xtreme Transit Makeovers”.) Every new rider who sits down with one of our staff members that day and creates a plan will get a free 7-day bus pass. We’ll also answer questions about riding the bus, buying passes, loading your bike on the bus, or planning a trip. While supplies last we’ll also have system maps and schedule books to hand out to everyone who stops by. Then on Thursday, June 19th (Dump the Pump Day) we’ll be outside on the plaza at 100 Congress in downtown Austin with more passes, plans, and giveaways from 10am until 2pm.
You can also register to receive one of the 7-day passes on a special Dump the Pump area of our website -- www.capmetro.org/xtreme. Supplies of the pass are limited and the policy is one per new rider.
If you’ve never ridden the bus this is a great opportunity to give it a try. Even if you can’t make it to one of the events go ahead and Dump the Pump that day.
