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U.S. public transportation systems provided nearly 2.5 billion trips during the third quarter of 2010, according to APTA statistics. Despite continued high unemployment, public transit use declined by less than 1 percent (.67 percent) compared with the same quarter last year, with heavy rail and bus service in small communities showing ridership increases for the period.

“Since nearly 60 percent of public transit trips are work-related commuter trips, public transit ridership continues to be impacted by the ups and downs of the economy and persistent high unemployment,” said APTA President William Millar. “Additionally, ridership has declined because many transit systems have been forced to raise fares and/or cut service as the result of reduced state and local revenue.”

Nationally, heavy rail ridership increased by 1.7 percent, with 11 out of 15 systems experienced ridership growth. The heavy rail systems with the highest increases in ridership for 2010 were in San Juan, PR (9.9 percent); Baltimore (7.2 percent); and MTA Staten Island Railway in New York City (6.3 percent).

Thirteen of 27 U.S. light rail systems reported an increase, although the sector as a whole saw ridership slip 0.2 percent. Light rail systems in five cities saw double-digit increases: New Orleans (61 percent); Seattle’s Sound Transit (57.2 percent); Seattle’s King County DOT (16.9 percent); Phoenix (14.1 percent); and Portland, OR (12.9 percent). Ridership also increased in Los Angeles (9.1 percent) and Minneapolis (8.8 percent).

Among commuter rail systems, 14 of 27 saw ridership increases, including Portland, OR (21.2 percent); Salt Lake City (15.2 percent); New Haven, CT/ Connecticut DOT (12.6 percent); Alexandria, VA (8.4 percent); and Harrisburg, PA (6.1 percent). Nationally, commuter rail ridership declined by 1.1 percent.

Overall bus ridership decreased nationally by 2.2 percent, although St. Louis and Boston saw quarterly ridership increases of 9.8 percent and 2.2 percent respectively. Small bus systems with populations below 100,000 saw an increase for three consecutive quarters (3.3 percent), led by Flagstaff, AZ (17.5 percent); Ithaca, NY (10.8 percent); and Davis, CA (10.7 percent);

Demand response (paratransit) use increased in the third quarter of 2010 by 1.1 percent.

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