Ride the bus free today, courtesy of St Joseph Transit. “The Ride” joins other public transit systems nationwide in the ninth annual National Dump The Pump Day. The event is sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association.

It’s an effort to encourage people to use public transportation to save money. The APTA reports a two-person household can save more than ten thousand dollars a year by downsizing to one car.

You can ride free in St Joe from 5:15am to 9 pm Thursday. Deviations from scheduled routes will still cost 50¢. Find route maps and other information here.