News Release

“Don’t Be a Carbon Bigfoot!”

Omnitrans Provides Opportunity to Save Planet, Money on
National “Dump the Pump” Day

San Bernardino, CA – Omnitrans and its partners will offer members of the community free rides and a chance to win prizes including a $200 Ontario Mills shopping spree on Thursday, June 18 as part of the agency’s celebration of “Dump the Pump” Day. More than 35 transit agencies across the nation will participate in the event, which was designed by the American Public Transportation Association to encourage people to ride public transportation to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conserve gasoline and save money.

Free ride coupons will be available in The Sun and Inland Valley Daily Bulletin newspapers on Sunday, June 14, or can be downloaded at www.omnitrans.org. The coupons will be good for a day pass (good on June 18 only) to ride anywhere in the Omnitrans service area, including a special “Don’t Be a Carbon Bigfoot!” event to be held on the north side of Ontario Mills Mall from 10:00 a.m. to noon.

Hosted in conjunction with KGGI 99.1 FM Radio and Ontario Mills, the Omnitrans event will feature information and giveaways, KGGI radio personalities, refreshments, games, and special appearances by Buster the Bus and a 25’ Bigfoot. Best of all, attendees can enter a drawing for a chance to win a $200 Ontario Mils shopping spree!

“Obviously, we want to have some fun with ‘Dump the Pump’ Day, but our message is a serious one – in today’s environment, reducing our individual carbon footprint is something we all need to be concerned about,” said Omnitrans Director of Marketing Wendy Williams. “Riding Omnitrans for just one day instead of driving reduces carbon emissions by 20 pounds. Over a year, that translates to nearly 5,000 pounds of emissions and $8,000 each of us could save.”

The “Don’t Be a Carbon Bigfoot!” event also will feature the debut of the agency’s newest compressed natural gas-fueled 40’ buses, which were funded partially by a grant from the South Coast Air Quality Management District. When the 30 new vehicles are in service later this summer, Omnitrans’ fleet will be 100 percent natural gas-powered. These buses produce significantly fewer smog-causing emissions than traditional diesel buses, further reducing the region’s carbon footprint.

For further information on “Dump the Pump” Day and public transportation’s impact on the environment, please visit the Omnitrans website at www.omnitrans.org or the American Public Transportation Association website at www.apta.com. 

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Founded in 1976, Omnitrans is the public transit agency serving fifteen cities and the unincorporated areas of the Inland Valley of San Bernardino County in Southern California. Omnitrans currently operates 32 fixed bus routes in a
480-square-mile area. Omnitrans also provides OmniLink and Access
demand-response service, and is a partner in the Inland Empire Connection express bus service. The American Public Transportation Association has named Omnitrans the Outstanding Transit System of its size in both 1995
and 1999. Omnitrans also has received twelve safety awards from the
National Safety Council.