Twin Cities Commuters Boosting Bus Ridership

"The high cost of gas and parking are helping wrench a vast army of suburbanites from behind their steering wheels -- so much so that riders complain they often have to stand, and transit officials are warning that they are bumping up against capacity."

"New statistics for 2007 show that ridership on Metro Transit's express services and the major suburban providers has soared by nearly 2 million over the past two years."

"Transit officials say they could be pulling far more drivers off the road, reducing traffic congestion and limiting the emissions blamed for climate change, if they had the money for more buses and park-and-ride spaces."

"'We can't keep growing at these rates,' said Beverly Miller, executive director of Minnesota Valley transit, which covers parts of Dakota and Scott counties. 'We have no capacity to do that. People aren't going to keep coming to us if there's no place to park, and no place to sit on the bus.'"