Leave the car at home and hop on the Red Rabbit for free today for the third annual "Dump the Pump" day.

The national event, hosted by the American Public Transportation Association, urges people to become familiar with their local public transportation in an effort to save fuel, money, time and the environment.

"There are literally hundreds of organizations throughout the country that are participating," said Phillipa Moss, director of the Community Service Center.

This year, Hall Area Transit is expanding efforts to attract more people to the Red Rabbit by distributing free ride tickets to not only Hall County and Gainesville employees like they did last year, but to other employers located along bus routes, Crow said. "We’re doing a little more this year. We’re trying to distribute along the route and see how many folks would let us leave (free ride vouchers) there." Crow said. "We’re targeting areas we think might be open to it."

Businesses along bus routes include Northeast Georgia Medical Center, J&J Foods, Wal-Mart, Target and Lakeshore Mall.

"We think it’s a really great idea, because it’s a free ride for people who normally ride, so it’s an extra bonus. But for people who may not ordinarily ride The Red Rabbit, it’s an excuse to get on the bus and to save some gasoline, save some fuel and simply do something different," Moss said. "And sometimes you just need an invitation to do something different, and this is what that is."

Moss said some buses also may offer riders free gifts, such as tote bags and calendars. They will be given out at
random.