Public Transportation Ridership Continues to Climb in 2007

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from MassTransitMag:


Public Transportation Ridership Continues to Climb in 2007



The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) announced that Americans took 78 million more trips on public transportation during the first six months of 2007, compared to the first six months of 2006. This means that more than 5 billion trips were taken during this six-month period, representing a 2.3-percent increase in the second quarter and a 1.1-percent increase in the first quarter of 2007.

Noting that the 10.1 billion trips taken in 2006 were the highest in 49 years, APTA President William W. Millar said, “The good news is that public transit ridership is growing on top of last year’s record ridership. Whether it is because of high gas prices, increased congestion, or new and expanded transit services, more and more people are choosing public transportation.”

“The increased public transit ridership we are seeing this year clearly shows that people want travel choices,” said Millar. “Additionally, we are releasing a new report that shows that millions of Americans — from all walks of life — use and depend on public transportation.”

In the first six months of 2007, commuter rail had the highest growth rate of all modes at 5.5 percent and four areas showed commuter rail ridership increases in double digits during this six-month period: Harrisburg, Pa., (47.5 percent); Dallas, Texas, (17.0 percent); Miami, Fla., (15.4 percent); and Oakland, Calif., (14.9 percent). Other high growth rates in commuter rail ridership also occurred in: Stockton, Calif., (10.0 percent); San Carlos, Calif., (8.7 percent); and Long Island, N.Y., (7.7 percent). Light rail (modern light rail, streetcars, trolleys and heritage trolleys) had the second highest percentage of ridership growth among all modes of transportation, with a 4.1 percent increase. Some of the areas reporting the highest increases in light rail ridership opened new services over the past year. The Regional Transportation District of Denver, Colo., showed the largest increase at 78.9 percent. The light rail systems in the following areas showed double-digit increases from January through June 2007: St. Louis, Mo., (37.8 percent); New Orleans, La., (34.2 percent); Kenosha, Wisc., (26.5 percent); State of New Jersey (19.8 percent); San Jose, Calif., (12.2 percent); Memphis, Tenn., (12.1 percent), and Baltimore, Md., (11.9 percent). Heavy rail (subways) ridership grew nationally by 2.8 percent during the first six months of 2007. The four areas showing the largest increases in ridership were: Atlanta, Ga., (10.7 percent); State of New Jersey (7.2 percent); Staten Island, N.Y., (6.4 percent); and San Francisco, Calif., (5.9 percent).

Bus ridership in small and large communities also showed increases. Nationally, bus ridership increased by 0.6 percent. The largest bus agencies showing the largest increases for the first six months of 2007 were located in the following cities: Seattle, Wash., (7.8 percent); Minneapolis, Minn., (5.6 percent); and Denver, Colo., (5.3 percent). -2- Demand response (paratransit) ridership increased by 3.7 percent. Trolley bus ridership decreased by 3.7 percent and all other types of public transportation increased by 0.6 percent from January through June 2007.

To see the complete report, go to http://www.apta.com/research/stats/ridership/. In addition, to releasing the latest transit ridership statistics, APTA has released a new report that gives the most current profile of public transportation passengers. Titled “A Profile of Public Transportation Passenger Demographics and Travel Characteristics Reported in On-Board Surveys,” the data came from 150 on-board vehicle passenger surveys, summarized by transit agencies from responses by more than 496,000 public transportation riders from 2000-2005. These surveys represent transit systems that carry 60 percent of all the transit trips in the United States. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.masstransitmag.com/web/online/Industry-Announcements/Public-Transportation-Ridership-Continues-to-Climb-in-2007/1$4545