Upper Marlboro Residents Encouraged to 'Dump the Pump' Today

Today is the sixth annual National Dump the Pump Day sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association, Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council. The daylong event was set up to encourage people to use more public transportation in the face of high gas prices and rising pollution.

Because The Bus doesn’t service all parts of southern Prince George’s County, the county government won’t run any special programs for that particular mode of public transportation, said Susan Hubbard, a spokeswoman for the county’s Department of Public Works and Transportation.

Still, Hubbard encouraged people to ride The Bus in the areas of the county it travels to, as well as their bicycles. “If folks can walk, we encourage them to do that,” Hubbard said. “We also encourage them to ride The Bus and/or ride their bikes along county bike trails and bike lanes.”

While Metro won’t be directly participating in Dump the Pump Day, Metro chief spokesman Dan Stessel said his company will make a big “exciting” announcement at 11 a.m. today.

Transit Routes: Want to dump the pump for a day? If so, both The Bus and Metrobus (PDF) service parts of the Upper Marlboro area.

Cheap Gas Prices: If public transportation isn’t an option for you, check out Gas Buddy. The Web site highlights the most inexpensive places to fill up.