Community Transit

Tired of $4 Gas? Dump the Pump this Summer

June 19, 2012

Leaving the car at home can create big savings and help the environment

Snohomish County, Wash. - Community Transit is joining with the Puget Sound region’s public transportation agencies to encourage people to "dump the pump" on national Dump the Pump Day, June 21, and all summer long.

With volatile gas prices around $4 per gallon, the more than 560,000 riders who take advantage of the region’s public transportation services are already saving money and reducing stress. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) transit savings calculator shows that the cost of driving 20 miles round trip each weekday in a car that gets 23 miles per gallon with $4 per gallon for gas and $10 a day for parking is approximately $2,300 more per year than riding transit, taking into account the cost of a transit pass.*

If everyone in the Puget Sound region who currently rides transit each day drove a car the same distance they would cumulatively spend more than $615,000 in fuel daily. The more than 150,000 gallons of fuel burned would result in greenhouse gas emissions of more than 1,300 metric tons daily.**

Several local agencies are planning activities to observe Dump the Pump Day.

Sound Transit staff will host a rider appreciation event on June 21, greeting morning commuters at the Federal Way Transit Center. Riders will be able to learn about the various parking options at six Federal Way area park-and-ride lots. In addition, commuters can enter a drawing to win an ORCA card pre-loaded with $10.

King County Metro Transit will be reaching out to riders on Facebook to ask how they plan to Dump the Pump on June 21. Ten people will win a Dump the Pump t-shirt and an ORCA card loaded with $10. Participants will be selected through a random drawing on June 25. Metro will also be reaching out to residents with a reminder that they can learn more about the travel and cost-savings benefits of using transit by visiting Metro Online.

Intercity Transit will host a giant Transportation Fair from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. June 20, at Heritage Park in downtown Olympia. The event will enable people to discover how much money they can save on their commute, which transit services might work best for them, participate in drawings and giveaways and walk away with their customized “Undriver License.” The transit agency is encouraging people to share their Dump the Pump stories online and will launch a trial bus pass program in July.

Snohomish County’s Community Transit is encouraging people to take the bus to their favorite local destination this summer. Whether you enjoy relaxing at the Edmonds or Mukilteo waterfronts, shopping at Alderwood Mall or historic downtown Snohomish, or the excitement of the Tulalip Resort Casino, you can get there on a Community Transit bus. Use the online Trip Planner to plan your trip or visit our Destinations webpage for more information.

*This example assumes the $99 monthly cost of an ORCA card loaded with a pass that is good for unlimited bus or light rail trips within King County. You can calculate your own savings by visiting the APTA website and put your savings to use on Dump the Pump Day.

**This calculation provides a order-of-magnitude example illustrating cumulative fuel savings by people who ride transit. It is based on a completely hypothetical scenario of all existing transit riders (Washington State Ferries are excluded) driving cars instead of taking transit, with each agency’s ridership multiplied by its average transit trip distance. The calculation assumes 23 miles per gallon, typical of a medium-sized car. The cumulative reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is based on the below-linked methodology. This hypothetical example does not try to take into account greenhouse gas emissions by transit vehicles or any other factors.

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