Transit advocates push drivers to ‘dump the pump’

Public transportation advocates are pushing drivers to “dump the pump” and try taking transit for their commutes on Thursday. 

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) have declared Thursday “National Dump The Pump Day” in an effort to boost transit usage in cities across the country. 

APTA President Michael Melaniphy said the agencies have been hosting the event for 10 years. 

{mosads}”This year, 176 public transit systems are promoting National Dump the Pump Day in a variety ways to thank current riders and welcome new riders,” he said in a statement. 

“National Dump the Pump Day highlights the many benefits that public transportation brings to individuals and communities,” Melaniphy continued.  “Besides individual financial savings, public transportation spurs economic growth for towns and cities, and also improves the environment and reduces our nation’s energy consumption.”  

In Congress, lawmakers are struggling to come up with a way to pay for an extension of a transportation funding measure that typically includes spending for transit systems. 

They are grappling with an annual shortfall in transportation spending that is estimated to be about $16 billion, and they have not passed an infrastructure package that lasts longer than two years since 2005.

The current transportation funding legislation, which is set to expire on July 31 after a two-month extension was approved last month, includes about $50 billion in annual spending on road and transit projects. Federal law requires 20 percent of the transportation spending to be set aside for transit projects. 

The traditional source for transportation funding is revenue collected from the 18.4 cents per gallon federal gas tax. But the tax, which has not been increased since 1993, only brings in about $34 billion per year. 

Lawmakers have turned to other parts of the federal budget to fill the gap in recent years, but transportation advocates have complained the resulting temporary patches prevent states from completing long-term construction projects.

The Congressional Budget Office has estimated it will take about $100 billion to close the gap for long enough to pay for a six-year transportation funding bill, which is the length being sought by the Obama administration and transportation advocates.

Supporters have pushed for a gas tax increase. They point out the federal gas tax would be about 30 cents per gallon now if it had been indexed to inflation in 1993.

Lawmakers have been reluctant to ask drivers to pay more at the pump, and Republicans have ruled it out.

Deron Lovaas, director of transportation federal policy at the NRDC, said transit usage helps save 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline a year, which he said helps reduce carbon emissions. 

“We all win when we use public transportation such as commuter rail or bus rapid transit,” Lovaas said. “Let’s all dump the pump and get relief from traffic congestion, help achieve energy independence and tackle our climate challenge.”