Metro ridership up April - June
Ridership on Metrorail increased 1.2 percent between April and June compared to the same period last year, an uptick that follows a nationwide trend of transit ridership increasing slightly, Metro and national transit advocates said Tuesday.
Between April and June, Metrorail had 59.4 million trips, compared to 58.7 million trips during the same period last year, a Metro spokesman said. Transit ridership nationwide grew 0.1 percent during that time, according to the American Public Transportation Association. That nationwide uptick was the first increase in six quarters, the association said. Previous ridership declines were due to high unemployment, the recession and less state and local revenue for public transportation, according to the association.
The association said the increase in transit ridership that typically accompanies job growth shows the need to include more transit funding in a long-term surface transportation bill that Congress is expected to consider next year.
-- Katherine Shaver
By
Washington Post editors
| September 21, 2010; 2:19 PM ET
Categories:
Traffic and Transportation
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Posted by: turnageb | September 21, 2010 2:24 PM | Report abuse
Ridership up
Service down
Posted by: jiji1 | September 22, 2010 1:41 PM | Report abuse
They are counting the increase in tourists around that timeframe. Commuter numbers have dropped. I know many like myself that have stopped taking Metrorail for either driving in (now is less expensive than train) or for the faster, more reliable, less expensive bus service.
Posted by: CalmTruth | September 23, 2010 10:41 AM | Report abuse
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Awesome. I am so encouraged by the rising transit ridership rates across the country. Metro is a vital part of our regional economy, so I truly hope that WMATA can right its ship and start providing better service and a high levels of commitment to safety. And, of course, we need to ensure that funding is provided to allow the level of safety and service are not only maintained, but increased.