2011 National Dump the Pump Day – June 16, 2011

Suggested promotions/activities

• Offer free rides.
• Offer discounts on weekly or monthly passes.
• Have a drawing for free passes or other prizes.
• Have drivers/conductors pass out giveaways to riders.
• Work with local retailers to provide coupons to riders or discounts to people sporting Dump the Pump buttons or stickers.

Event suggestions:

• Hold an open house for community leaders and local media to see your facilities and equipment. Cap off the event with a ceremonial ride.
• Host an information fair promoting the benefits of public transportation.
• Create school activities to get local children involved (coloring contest, slogan contest, rides to school).
• Promote your agency and National Dump the Pump Day by setting up a table or booth at a popular location where there is a transit stop and a lot of pedestrian traffic.

Media:

• Work to secure placement in local media promoting National Dump the Pump Day.
• Let the media know in advance that National Dump the Pump Day will be held on Thursday, June 16. (Utilize the sample media advisory in the toolkit.)
• Have agency representatives do interviews with local media to promote National Dump the Pump  Day.
• Invite the media to any/all events.
• Partner with a local media outlet or local business to promote public transportation.

General:

• Have special "Dump the Pump" messages for voice mail, email, and electronic message boards.
• Produce special buttons for all employees to wear. (See art work for Dump the Pump Day buttons.)
• Utilize proclamations to have local, regional, and state officials to proclaim National Dump the Pump Day in your area. (See template in the toolkit.)
• Have your board pass a National Dump the Pump Day proclamation. (See template in the toolkit.)
• Add a fuel calculator to your website so visitors can see how much they would save by using public transportation (can also be used at info fair or other events). Link to the fuel calculator on the PublicTransportation.org website.
• Link to the carbon calculator on the PublicTransportation.org website.
• Utilize messaging and logos/artwork to create banners and signage for the day
• Use destination headers to promote National Dump the Pump Day.
• Invite elected officials to attend any events, as well as to take public transportation that day.

Examples from Last Year:

And here’s a link to last year’s Passenger Transport story that highlighted Dump the Pump activities across the country.