First of all, I just noticed that Capital Metro (Austin's metropolitan transportation system for the uninformed) has launched a blog. Check out the Capital MetroBlog here.
Anyways, tomorrow Capital Metro is taking part in Dump the Pump Day and offering free 7-day bus passes as part of a "Xtreme Transit Makeovers" from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday at 100 Congress Ave.
Daily Texan: The event's officials hope to convince potential riders who may be apprehensive about riding the bus to try a route free of charge, McKewen said. Capital Metro representatives at the event will help commuters by offering personalized route plans. Participants will also receive help in calculating how much they are decreasing the wear and tear of roads by riding buses.
Participants will receive a free seven-day pass on any shuttle. University students can always ride the bus free of charge with a UT student ID.
I also though this line was interesting from the article, indicative of the face that people are actually changing their habits based upon fuel prices.
From January through April, there was a 12.5 percent increase in shuttle ridership compared to the same period last year. Capital Metro spokeswoman Erica McKewen said she expects an even greater increase in May.
Of course, I've held out for about 7 years in never getting a car- much to the chagrin of some of my employers who may browbeat me yet into getting one. I'm so counterculture. (But I also like getting a paycheck.) **sigh**
