Transit Agencies See Rise In Ridership

"Nationwide, people took about 9.7 billion trips on light-rail systems, commuter trains and buses last year, a 1.3% increase from the previous year, according to the most recent data compiled by the American Public Transportation Association. In recent months, public- transportation officials across the country say they have seen much bigger surges in riders, as gasoline prices have approached -- and in some places exceeded -- $3 a gallon."

" 'Outside New York City . . . taking the bus or the rail is viewed as something second-class citizens do as a last resort,' says Elliot Sander, the former transportation commissioner under New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani who now directs New York University's Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management."