Hawkins says that ridership on the San Diego Trolley rose "16.8 percent in December from a year earlier, and 13 percent in January."
The Coaster commuter rail is up 13.7 percent from the previous year.
But fingers are pointing at other culprits as well:
"Local transit officials say gas prices are certainly affecting ridership but that isn't the whole story.
"Public transportation closely follows employment," said MTS's Schupp. When jobs disappear, so do public transit riders.
The jobs are coming back and with them, ridership."
