Transit Ridership

A Line

Denver's New Commuter Train to the Plane Achieves Record Ridership

Ridership on the electrified A Line, which opened to great fanfare on Earth Day, reached a weekday average of 16,910 as of June 5. The 23-mile line operates from Union Station to Denver International Airport. Not all is perfect though.

June 18, 2016 - The Denver Post

New York Subway

NYDOT's New 'Mobility Report': Subway Booms While Bus System Busts

The first "New York City Mobility Report" released under the leadership of New York Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg finds two sides of transit coin.

June 11, 2016 - StreetsBlog NYC

Bus

Another Outcome of Public Transit: Lessons in Virtue

An editorial for Strong Towns voices an idea perhaps thought, but rarely spoken: taking public transit can help you become a better person.

June 6, 2016 - Strong Towns

Boston Subway T

The Sad Saga of Three East Coast Subways

With so much attention placed on the woes facing D.C. Metro, it's important to recognize that it is hardly the only subway facing critical infrastructure investment needs.

May 27, 2016 - The New York Times

Expo Line

What L.A.'s New Expo Line Extension Won't Do

The $1.5 billion, 6.6-mile light rail extension from Culver City to Santa Monica is projected to double trips on the line by 2030, giving commuters a viable alternative to driving. Just the same, don't expect the extension to reduce congestion.

May 23, 2016 - Wired

trax light rail train in foreground, snow-covered mountains in background

Cities Discovering the Limitations of Half-Baked Rail Plans

Presenting less of an argument against transit than an argument for good transit and land use planning, Streetsblog surveys some of the country's worst performing rail lines.

May 13, 2016 - Streetsblog USA

Empty Subway

Public Transportation Ridership: Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back?

Recent data showing declining transit ridership is only the latest news to cast doubt on expectations of a public transit renaissance.

April 12, 2016 - Steven Polzin

Bus Stop

The Demographics of U.S. Transit Ridership

New research from the Pew Research Center provides insight into the people relying on public transit.

April 8, 2016 - Pew Research Center

New York Subway

New York Subway Service Lags as Ridership Grows

Increasing ridership, coupled with decreasing service, means a very crowded subway system in New York City.

March 29, 2016 - The Wall Street Journal

Florida City First to Subsidize Uber Rides

A city in Florida is betting that transportation network companies can help reduce congestion and increase transit ridership.

March 5, 2016 - Reuters via Fortune

Orange County Retooling Bus Service to Reverse Transit Declines

Orange County provides the latest development in the ongoing experiment with transit in Southern California, hoping that a high-frequency bus grid can reverse slumping ridership numbers.

February 17, 2016 - KPCC

Record Numbers of Riders Took to Rail in Chicago in 2015

The Chicago Transit Authority has something to celebrate as it tries to dig itself out of a budgetary hole.

February 13, 2016 - Chicago Tribune

Gold Line Preview

Los Angeles Transit Ridership on the Decline—Are Rail Investments Working?

Bad news for transit advocates in Los Angeles this week, as the Los Angeles Time reported data that makes the region's transit investments look like something less than money well spent.

January 30, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

Cheap Gas Takes Toll on Amtrak Ridership

McClatchy's Curtis Tate reports on Amtrak routes in Missouri and Kansas. Reduced ridership on the Missouri River Runner may be the result of falling gas prices.

December 31, 2015 - McClatchy Washington Bureau

Houston's Big Year in Transit Pays Off in New Ridership

It was a big year for transit in Houston: two new light rail lines launched operation and the regional bus system got a makeover on the high frequency grid model. Ridership is also up.

December 30, 2015 - Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County

Tokyo Subway Map

Asian Subways Are the Busiest

Rankings from the International Association of Public Transport have Tokyo on top, followed by Beijing and Shanghai. New York comes in seventh.

November 11, 2015 - Citymetric

Report: Transit Ridership Dropped in First Half of 2015

Fears that low gas prices and increasing vehicle miles traveled would negatively affect transit ridership might have come true in the first half of the year, according to data provided by the American Public Transportation Association.

November 6, 2015 - Progressive Railroading

Metro Expansion Map

D.C. Metro's Mea Culpa: Bad Service Responsible for Declining Ridership

While cities like New York and San Francisco's transit systems are bursting at the seams, D.C. Metro's rail system lost 5 percent of its ridership between 2010 and 2015. This week Metro acknowledged some of its fault in that trend.

October 8, 2015 - The Washington Post

Chicago Infill Rail Stations Showing Outsized Benefits in Ridership, TOD

An analysis of infill transit stations built since 2012 along "L" routes in Chicago shows clear increases in ridership and transit oriented development.

September 1, 2015 - Metropolitan Planning Council - The Connector

Turnstiles

Strategies for Maximizing Transit Ridership

Jarrett Walker outlines the conditions under which transit serves the greatest number of travelers. Maximizing ridership, he argues, requires thinking like a business and catering to demand.

August 7, 2015 - Human Transit

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