Steven Brown, left, and Rebecca Kajumba. Courtesy photo.
OXNARD — Gold Coast Transit District (GCTD) presented Rebecca Kajumba with her new beach cruiser after her photo was randomly selected as the winner of the District’s Dump the Pump Summer Selfie Contest.
Launched in June, the annual Dump the Pump campaign is a national effort led by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) that encourages people to ride public transportation to take them where they need to go, instead of driving a car. Although typically held on one day in June (June 15th), GCTD encouraged the community to “Dump the Pump” all summer long and hosted the contest to incentivize passengers. The rules were:
- Follow GCTD on Instagram (@goldcoasttransit)
- Take a picture of yourself riding any GCTD bus
- Post to Instagram with #DumpThePump and tag @GoldCoastTransit
The contest closed on September 5th and Ms. Kajumba’s photo was selected. Today, on World Car Free Day, GCTD General Manager presented her with the winning prize at the Ventura Transit Center.
“This is so exciting! I am getting on the Route 11 now with my new bike”, said Ms. Kajumba.
Since installing three-position bike racks on every bus in 2013, bicycle boardings have increased 54 percent and now average about 100,000 bike boardings per year.
“We are proud to support our community and passengers like Ms. Kajumba with multi-modal travel options to help them get around town safely and efficiently without a car”, said GCTD General Manager Steven Brown.
A recent study released by APTA, Millennials and Mobility, shows that while car-sharing, bike-sharing, walking and car ownership will all play a role in the multi-modal network, public transportation ranked highest as the best mode to connect to all other modes, according to 54 percent of millennials polled.
About the District: Gold Coast Transit District provides safe, responsive, convenient, efficient, and environmentally responsible fixed-route bus and paratransit public transportation that serves the diverse needs of the cities of Ojai, Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Ventura, and in the unincorporated County areas between the cities. Utilizing a fleet of 56 clean natural gas-fueled buses, and 26 paratransit buses and vans, GCTD carries nearly 4 million passengers annually on its 20 bus routes. GCTD is the largest provider of public transit in Ventura County and is governed by a Board of Directors made up of an elected official from each member jurisdiction. For more information or to plan your trip, visit www.GoldCoastTransit.org.