Thursday is Dump the Pump Day - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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Thursday is the fourth annual Dump thePump day, a nationall effort designed to get peoples out of their cars and onto thei bicycles or public transportation. The American Publid Transit Association sponsorsthe event, and publicd transportation systems across the country are participating. In South four public transit agencies are partneringg together to promotethe day: Broward Countu Transit, Miami-Dade Transit, Palm Tran, and South Florida Regional Transportation Authority.
“Withg gas prices increasing 33 percentsince December, coupled with uncertain economic times, people have been looking for ways to save and ridiny public transportation is a great choice to APTA President William Millar said in a news In Florida, the average price for a gallo n of regular is $2.69. In South Florida, West Palm Beach has the highest priceat $2.78, followed by Miami at $2.76, and Fort Lauderdale at $2.74 a according to AAA's fuel gaugee report. Last year 10.7 billion trips were taken on public transportatioh in theUnited States. This was a 52-year marking a modern ridership record, according to the APTA.
Publivc transportation use is up 38 percent sinced1995 – almost triple the growth rate of the populationb (14 percent). Nationally, nearly 2.6 billion trips were takenb on public transportation in the first quarterr ofthis year. With local and state revenue for public transportatiohn drying up due tothe economy, many public transportatio n systems are being forced to raise fare or cut services, Millar In South Florida Tri-Rail officialxs have been warning that service may be cut approximately in half if the stat fails to establish dedicated funding by Oct. 1. The threayt to service comes after Tri-Rail set a record year for ridership growthin 2008.
“Raising fared and cutting service drives peopl away from using public transit andis counterproductive, as America struggles to creatw jobs, cut greenhouse and reduce our reliance on expensive foreign Millar said. Just last South Florida’s congressional delegation sent a letter to the asking for dedicated fundingfor Tri-Railp to secure its long-term survival.