6/19/08: Free rides on public transit in 20+ cities/counties for Dump the Pump Day

If you've been thinking about switching to a commute on public transit but aren't sure it'll work, tomorrow is a great day to try. Not only will you be joining others across the country in celebrating public transportation, but in many areas your trip will be free! (And if you already ride public transit daily in one of these areas, well, enjoy your freebie.)

Over 100 public transit agencies are celebrating Dump the Pump Day on June 19th in one way or another-- many including raffles and free food or other giveaways-- but a few dozen places (see below) are taking it to the next level by offering completely free transit. They want to entice customers to give their system a try and see how well it could work for them. (Want to see how commuting costs compare for you between public transit, including variables like different gas prices and maintenance costs? Try this very helpful calculator.)

In just a minute I'll get to the list of the systems that I could find which are offering free transit. But first I must admit that the whole time I was researching and writing this post, I couldn't help singing to myself "Come onnnnn and take a freeeeeeeee ride..."

CA:

• Foothill Transit (LA suburbs): Free day with coupon and survey http://www.foothilltransit.org
• Omnitrans (San Bernardino County): Free day with coupon http://www.omnitrans.org/06-19-08-dump-pump.pdf
• Orange County: Free all day pass, any day June 16-20 with coupon http://www.octa.net/images/dtp_freepassd.jpg
• Riverside County: Free 7 day bus passes to first 100 requests. http://www.riversidetransit.com/p...mpPump.htm
• North San Diego County Transit District is offering free day passes (good any day) at Starbucks and markets in Carlsbad, Escondido, Oceanside, and Vista: http://www.gonctd.com/pdf_info/du...ump_08.pdf
• San Francisco Bay Area: All transit agencies free all day http://www.sparetheair.org/ EXCEPT BART, CalTrain, ACE, ferries (free until 12 noon only) http://www.bart.gov/news/barttv/?...=27&id=388

Florida:

• Orlando, FL: Lynx free with coupon http://www.golynx.com/?id=1156230
• Gainesville, FL: http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=210843&c=10

Indiana:

• Lafayette, IN: http://www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080613/NEWS/806130322

Kansas:

• Lawrence, KS: http://www.lawrencetransit.org/

Kentucky:

• Lexington, KY: http://www.kentucky.com/779/story/435291.html

Maryland:

• Frederick County, MD: http://www.co.frederick.md.us/doc...20FY08.PDF

Massachusetts:

• Plymouth, MA: Free rides http://www.wickedlocal.com/plymou...e-for-free
• New Bedford, Fairhaven, Dartmouth MA...http://www.srtabus.com/
• Free rides are also being offered by the systems in Attleboro, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard and Franklin.

Michigan:

• Blue Water Area: http://www.thetimesherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080603/NEWS05/80603007/1002/NEWS01

Missouri:

• St. Louis Metro (bus and light rail): Free day with coupon http://metrostlouis.org/GettingSt...hepump.asp

Ohio:

• Akron, OH: http://www.ohio.com/news/19755454.html

Oklahoma:

• Norman, OK: http://www.normantranscript.com/opinion/local_story_167003203

Pennsylvania:

• Indiana County, PA: http://online.indianagazette.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29592&Itemid=52
• Lebanon County, PA: http://www.centralpennbusiness.com/article.asp?aID=66714
• Monroe County, PA: http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080616/NEWS/806160315
• York County, PA: http://www.centralpennbusiness.com/article.asp?aID=66714
• (also Chester County, PA: 35 cent fares http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story...id=6199563)
  

Texas:

• Austin, TX: Free 7-day passes for first 1000 http://www.iridecapmetro.org/Dump_the_pump.aspx
• Fort Worth, TX: http://www.the-t.com/newsrelease/...ump08.html

Washington State:

• Ben Franklin Transit: http://www.tri-cityherald.com/901/story/214765.html

Have any to add to the list?