Date:  Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Contact: WSDOT Communications, Tonia Buell, 360-705-7439
Community Transit, Martin Munguia, 425 348-2348
Everett Transit, Steffani Lillie, 425 257-8914
Intercity Transit, Meg Kester, 360 705-5842
Kitsap Transit, Laurie Talbert, 360 478-6225
King County Metro Transit, Rochelle Ogershok, 206 296-6515
Pierce Transit, Lars Erickson, 253 984-8218
Sound Transit, Linda Robson, 206 398-5149

Olympia-Seattle, WA – With local gas prices even higher than the national average, residents in the Puget Sound region have turned to public transportation in record numbers. A survey of local transit ridership in April 2008 showed 520,000 passengers using buses, trains, ferries, vanpools and paratransit to get around each weekday, a record high.

To demonstrate how easy it is to use transit, regional transit agencies are joining over 100 transit districts throughout the country urging residents to ride public transportation or use another fuel-friendly travel mode this Thursday, June 19, National Dump the Pump Day.

Transit Systems Nationwide Are Promoting Dump the Pump Day
The American Public Transportation Association is joining transit agencies from coast to coats to ask you to park your cars and ride public transportation instead.

Statewide Commute Options
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) wants commuters to know about the many ways to save money at the gas pump. The state invests in and promotes a variety of commute options as alternatives to driving alone, including the use of carpools, vanpools, buses, bicycling, walking, compressed work hours, and working from home. To find your local transit system or information about commute options in your area, visit the WSDOT Web site.

Thurston County Activity
In Olympia, Intercity Transit is hosting a series of events and transit fairs providing transit trip planning and rideshare information to interested commuters. Thousands of people are expected to sign a roving “I dumped the pump” community banner this month and commuters traveling through area transit centers, the Capitol Campus and park and ride lot on June 19 will get “I dumped the pump” buttons.

Additionally, community leaders in Thurston County are showing support for National Dump the Pump Day by either using a commute alternative on June 19 or speaking publicly about the value and importance of transit to our communities and our individual lives. Numerous elected officials, city administrators and Intercity Transit leadership are planning to use fuel-friendly transportation options on the 19th.

“If we didn’t have transit, we’d have to spend millions more every year to build and widen roads, and still it wouldn’t relieve traffic congestion,” said Ralph Osgood, Mayor of Tumwater. When people choose to ride the bus, they’re not just saving their own money, they’re saving taxpayers’ money as well.”

Community Transit, Everett Transit, Intercity Transit, King County Metro Transit, Kitsap Transit, Pierce Transit and Sound Transit are joining transit agencies across the country to share information about alternative travel modes. That means using the bus or a train, sharing the ride in a carpool or vanpool, or using human power by cycling or walking.

“All of us are affected in some way by the ever increasing high price of gas. After housing, transportation is the second highest cost for most American families, outpacing food and health care costs,” states Meg Kester, spokesperson for Intercity Transit.

Regional Activity
To encourage participation in National Dump the Pump Day, Community Transit is flyering the 1,000-stall Ash Way Park & Ride in Lynnwood to encourage regular commuters to take the bus from home to the park & ride that day. On June 19, the agency will invite riders to cover a poster depiction of a gas pump with stickers saying “I dumped the pump” between 6 and 8 a.m.

Pierce Transit will be distributing “I dumped the pump” stickers to riders at select transit centers throughout their system between 6:30 and 8 a.m. that day.

The bus or train might not work best for everyone, and that is where RideshareOnline.com is great statewide resource. It provides an easy way to find others who are interested in sharing the commute in a carpool or vanpool. For example, Metro Transit has seen a 27 percent increase in people using vanpools in the past year, and now has more than 1,000 commuter vans on the road. Community Transit has 352 vanpools on the road; Pierce Transit has 285 and Intercity Transit has 173 and Kitsap Transit has 115.

Puget Sound Regional Transit Statistics
Public transportation in King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties covers:
• 6,589 square miles including…
• 66 cities and towns,
• 447 bus routes,
• two ferry routes (Kitsap Transit),
• 83 miles of commuter rail (Sounder),
• 1.6 miles of light rail (17.2 miles by 2009).

Ridership
Over one-half million trips are taken each weekday on Puget Sound transit systems. Locally, Intercity Transit ridership has jumped over 50 percent between 2002-2007, was up 12 percent in 2007 and, this year, use of Intercity Transit buses is up another 13 percent over the same time period a year ago.

For Information
For commuting options, links to transit agency Web sites, and a cost calculator, go to the WSDOT Web Site.

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