“Dump the Pump” day encourages people to use the bus system

“If I took a full tank of gas, right now, it’s right at 80 dollars,” Paul Burleson shares his pain at the pump outside ARCO in Thousand Palms.

SunLine Transit Agency has a deal for Paul, and everyone else who thinks gas prices are just too high.

“From Indio to Palm springs, it’s a buck. Just a buck. You can’t even buy a gallon of fuel for a buck,” boasts Apolonio Del Toro, Director of Operations at SunLine.

Not bad, considering the average price for a gallon of regular is $3.99 in Riverside County.

The nationwide “Dump the Pump” campaign kicks off this week. American Public Transportation Association — APTA for short — came up with the idea seven years ago when gas hit three dollars a gallon.

They hope you’ll save your cash, and take the bus.

“By the sheer factor of using public transportation, you’re reducing vehicles on the road,” says Del Toro, “So you have an impact on the environment immediately and not to mention your wallet.”

According to the latest APTA Transit Savings Report, individuals in a two-person household can save an average of more than $9,700 annually by downsizing to one car.

Burleson says he’d give public transportation a shot.

“I think it gives you the opportunity, to, you know, meet other people, to save gasoline, it’s just a good way to be economically eco-centric.”

For more information, go to www.apta.com.

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