Transit Ridership Up In '06

"'In the first six months of this year, more and more people rode public transportation and transit ridership grew by 3.2%,' said APTA President William W. Millar. 'This continued growth in transit ridership shows how important public transportation is to millions of Americans across the country.'

...Light rail (modern light rail, streetcars, trolleys, and heritage trolleys) had the highest percentage of ridership growth among all modes of transportation, with a 9.4% increase.

Some of the areas reporting the highest increases in light rail ridership opened new services over the past year. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority of San Jose, CA showed the largest increase at 33%. The light rail systems in the following areas showed double digit increases from January through June 2006: Minneapolis, MN (23.4%); the state of New Jersey (15.1%); Boston, MA (13.4%); Buffalo, NY (12.2%); Los Angeles, CA (11.9%); Philadelphia, PA (11.9%); and San Diego, CA (11.9%)."

Thanks to Jon Cecil, AICP