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RIVERSIDE, CA — (May 30, 2008) — In response to rising gas prices, the Riverside Transit Agency (RTA) announced today that it will give away free rides to a limited number of passengers during the month of June.
The month-long campaign is linked to the national Dump the Pump Day on June 19, which is designed to encourage public transit use to help improve the environment and conserve gasoline.
Hoping to bring more awareness to public transit’s role in improving air quality and saving money, RTA will give away 7-Day passes to the first 100 people who mail the Agency a gasoline receipt for a June fill-up. The pass is good for travel on all RTA’s fixed routes and CommuterLink express routes. The free passes are limited to one per name or household.
“Using public transportation is the quickest way to beat high gas prices,” said RTA Chairman of the Board Karen Spiegel. “By participating in the third annual Dump the Pump, we hope people who have never used RTA will decide to give us a try.”
RTA has a history of doing its part to help reduce air pollution. In 2001, the Agency replaced its entire fleet of diesel buses with cleaner-burning compressed natural gas vehicles. In an effort to take automobiles and their harmful emissions off Inland roads, RTA has launched programs to allow UC Riverside students and City of Riverside employees to ride for free. And last year, the Agency expanded its trolley service in downtown Riverside to help reduce dependency on the personal automobile.
In addition to saving the environment, Dump the Pump Day also provides Inland residents with the opportunity to save gas money. This spring, many RTA passengers said record-high gas prices prompted them to make the switch to public transit. Compared to this time last year, RTA’s systemwide ridership has grown 13 percent, and ridership on express CommuterLink routes has increased a whopping 40 percent.
Households with two workers and one vehicle that use public transportation save $6,200 every year, compared to households that don’t use public transportation. And according to a new study, public transportation reduces our nation’s carbon emissions by 37 million metric tons annually --- the equivalent to the electricity used by 4.9 million households.
Said American Public Transportation Association President William Millar, “With gas prices higher than ever and financial concerns affecting everyone, now is the time to save money and ride public transportation. The national Dump the Pump Day on June 19 is an opportunity for people across the county to make a difference in their wallet, as well as the environment.”
The Riverside Transit Agency provides public transportation for Western Riverside County, operating 39 fixed routes, 7 commuter routes and 15 demand response services. RTA’s service area spans 2,500 square miles, the second-largest in the nation. For bus route and schedule information contact RTA at (800) 800-7821 or log on to our Web site at www.RiversideTransit.com. |
