Dump the Pump on Thursday for a chance to win free BART tickets

BART riders can get a chance to win free BART tickets on Dump the Pump Day -- Thursday, June 16th. They'll also be able to view a Dump the Pump commercial that BART wanted to run at gas stations -- but the gas stations rejected. It's the 6th annual National Dump the Pump Day, created by the American Public Transportation Association as a day that encourages people to ride public transportation to save money, protect the environment, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and improve the quality of life for all Americans.

On Thursday BART will distribute 20,000 Dump the Pump stickers between 7am and 9 am at the Embarcadero, 12th St./Oakland City Center and Downtown Berkeley BART stations.Riders can wear the stickers during the day for a chance to win free tickets. Dump the Pump squads will be on the lookout for sticker-wearers and will be handing out tickets in downtown San Francisco, downtown Oakland and downtown Berkeley between 11 am and 1 pm.

Even people who don’t ride BART Thursday can get a chance to win up to $500 in BART tickets by submitting a self-portrait posed with a gas pump showing an outrageous per gallon price or total at www.bart.gov/dumpthepump.

In addition, riders can view the commercial that the gas stations didn't want them to see (above). The commercial was submitted to run on the gas pump advertising screens at some Bay Area gas stations but the company that handles the advertising rejected it, saying “it would never fly.” What is it about the commercial that has advertisers rejecting a paying customer even in these tough economic times? Watch the video and decide for yourself.