Los Angeles transit officials on Thursday urged commuters to get out of their cars and board public transportation as the city was observing the third annual National Dump the Pump Day.
Officials took advantage of the campaign, which was orchestrated by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), to encourage people to take buses or trains for a day.
"Using public transportation is the quickest way to beat high gas prices," said Peggy Delach, president of Los Angeles Foothill Transit's executive board. "I take public transit to work in Los Angeles and I can tell you first-hand that the money saved is significant."
Metro, Metrolink and the Auto Club also urged people to get out of their cars. Officials from all three agencies held a ceremonial towing-away of a gas-guzzling sport-utility vehicle Thursday morning in front of Union Station in downtown Los Angeles.
According to the APTA, the day is "dedicated to raising awareness that public transportation helps improve the environment and conserve fuel. It also offers the opportunity for people to beat the high price of gasoline and support public transportation as an important travel option that helps reduce our dependence on foreign oil."
Metro CEO Roger Snoble said the impact of high gas prices is already prompting many people to try public transportation.
"Just in the last May, May 2007, when we compare that to May 2008, our ridership is up 6 percent on our rail lines over what it was last year," Snoble said. "We've experienced big gains in the subway ridership and all of our rail ridership and all of our Metro Rapid buses as well."
Source:Xinhua
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