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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Melissa Lowery, of Nanticoke, rides the bus and pays a fee every day.</p><p>So it was a welcome change Thursday when she found out the usual fare was waived.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s always great to get free things,&#8221; said Lowery. &#8220;The bus is so convenient, having it free is an added bonus.&#8221;</p><p>The Luzerne County Transportation Authority took part in the 13th annual Dump the Pump Day, a national effort to encourage people to utilize public transportation by offering free rides.</p><p>Festivities were held at the James F. Conahan Intermodal Transportation Center to mark the occasion, including contests for bus passes.</p><p>And throughout the morning, community leaders rode buses to highlight the importance of public transportation.</p><p>Eric McKitish, marketing director at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, rode the bus to the airport near Avoca.</p><p>&#8220;I think the day is a great way to see an alternative to transportation, especially in eastern Pennsylvania,&#8221; said McKitish. The airport is partners with both LCTA and Martz, which deliver people to the airport daily.</p><p>Amanda Hoprich, marketing director for the Wyoming Valley Mall, boarded the bus early in the morning at the mall and later arrived at the Intermodal Center.</p><p>&#8220;I think the day grows awareness,&#8221; said Hoprich. &#8220;Maybe today someone hopped on the bus because they don&#8217;t have to pay for it, but they start to realize how easy it is to navigate and get anywhere you need to be in the valley.&#8221;</p><p>Tony Brooks, Wilkes-Barre councilman, took time to explain how public transportation brings business to the city.</p><p>&#8220;What&#8217;s great is that all public transportation comes down to downtown Wilkes-Barre,&#8221; said Brooks. &#8220;We just had a report on what the No. 1 thing people do in Wilkes-Barre, and it is eat at restaurants. We have 40 different restaurants here.&#8221;</p><p>Norm Gavlick, the executive director of LCTA, spoke about the importance of the day for the local bus system.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s important to get the word out about public transit,&#8221; said Gavlick. &#8220;Just to make people aware of where the buses go, and where you can get to using public transit.&#8221;</p><p>Melissa McCormick, of Hanover Township, initially wasn&#8217;t aware the fee was waived when she came to the bus station.</p><p>&#8220;I have a license. But the reason I don&#8217;t drive is because public transportation gets you where you need to go, and it&#8217;s much easier,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Dump the Pump Day, sponsored by American Public Transportation Association, started in 2006 due to high gas prices. According to a report by APTA, individuals in a two-person household can save approximately $9,894 annually by using only one car.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">A worker adjusts a mirror on a bus before it departs&nbsp;from the James F. Conahan Intermodal Transportation Center in downtown Wilkes-Barre on Thursday during Dump the Pump Day. The Luzerne County Transportation Authority offered free rides on its buses to promote public transit. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/web1_TTL062218buses1.jpg</photo0><caption0>A worker adjusts a mirror on a bus before it departs&nbsp;from the James F. Conahan Intermodal Transportation Center in downtown Wilkes-Barre on Thursday during Dump the Pump Day. The Luzerne County Transportation Authority offered free rides on its buses to promote public transit. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/web1_TTL062218buses2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Luzerne County Transportation Authority executive director Norm Gavlick talks to local historian and Wilkes-Barre councilman Tony Brooks at the James F. Conahan Intermodal Transportation Center in Wilkes-Barre during Thursday&#8217;s Dump the Pump Day. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/web1_TTL062218buses2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Luzerne County Transportation Authority executive director Norm Gavlick talks to local historian and Wilkes-Barre councilman Tony Brooks at the James F. Conahan Intermodal Transportation Center in Wilkes-Barre during Thursday&#8217;s Dump the Pump Day. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/web1_TTL062218buses3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Janine Hennigan, LCTA human resources director, helps Richard Tolly, 73, of Wilkes-Barre, far right, and others fill out forms for a chance to win a 31-day bus pass for free during Dump the Pump Day. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/web1_TTL062218buses3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Janine Hennigan, LCTA human resources director, helps Richard Tolly, 73, of Wilkes-Barre, far right, and others fill out forms for a chance to win a 31-day bus pass for free during Dump the Pump Day. </caption2><photoCredit2>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/web1_TTL062218buses4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">People get off the bus at the Intermodal Center in Wilkes-Barre during Dump the Pump Day on Thursday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/web1_TTL062218buses4.jpg</photo3><caption3>People get off the bus at the Intermodal Center in Wilkes-Barre during Dump the Pump Day on Thursday. </caption3><photoCredit3>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Cabrini Rudnicki</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div>

‘The bus is so convenient:’ Riders, officials ‘dump pump’ to promote public transit