Dump the Pump This Thursday

This Thursday, Sierra Club is celebrating the 7th annual "Dump the Pump" Day - a national day of action encouraging Americans to dump the pump for transit - in partnership with the American Public Transportation Association, the National Resources Defense Council, and millions of transit riders nationwide. 

Dump the Pump Day highlights public transit as a key solution for moving America beyond oil - with the added benefit that it saves America a lot of dough.  

There’s only one way to avoid high gas prices and that’s to use less. Across America we’re already doing it - transit ridership is at a record high, and last year alone, public transit saved us 4.2 billion gallons of gas.

And about that dough we mentioned earlier?  Dumping the pump for transit can save a two-person household nearly $10,000 per year by downsizing to one car. The key to leaving the car behind is reliable, convenient public transportation.

Americans are demanding smart transportation choices - but our decision makers aren't all getting the message.  Even though transit ridership is at record highs, transit systems across the country are being forced to cut service and raise fares because they are starved for investment.

Big Oil doesn't mind if we pay out the nose at the pump, so it's up to us to show our decision makers that transit is an important way for Americans to breathe easier and keep money in our own pockets rather than Big Oil’s.

Join the Sierra Club and the American Public Transportation Association in celebrating Dump the Pump Day this Thursday, June 21. 

Let's give Big Oil the boot and dump the pump for transit!

-- Rachel Butler, National Organizer for the Sierra Club Green Transportation Campaign