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U.S. gasoline prices are shooting up at an unprecedented pace, largely as a result of unrest in the Middle East. Between the end of February and the beginning of March, AAA statistics showed average U.S. gas prices jumping 28 cents a gallon in 10 days. And historically, when gas prices rise, so does public transportation ridership.
In its monthly transit savings report for March, APTA reported that public transit riders would save $9,904 annually and $825 per month based on the March 4, 2011 average national gas price ($3.47 per gallon – reported by AAA) and the national unreserved monthly parking rate. This is the highest savings for public transit riders in two years..
While the numbers coming in are based on very recent events, many agencies across the nation are reporting more trips than in the same time period a year earlier.
For example, Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) in Tampa, FL, announced a 19 percent increase in its bus ridership during February compared with the same month in 2010: 1.1 million rides instead of 958,515.
HART Chief Executive Officer David Armijo called the ridership growth “uncharted territory” for the agency. He added: “While public transportation is certainly highlighted during gas spikes and HART expects to continue to attract new riders, our sustained bus ridership increase has been in response to improvements made over the past few years. These include more late-night service, more shelters, and improved frequency of buses.”
Metro in Cincinnati noted that it provided about 1.2 million bus rides in February, a 5 percent increase over February 2010. Its ridership numbers in January 2011 not only exceeded the same month a year ago, they topped the agency’s projected ridership for 2011.
"We believe Metro’s ridership increase is a response to the high gas prices,” said Terry Garcia Crews, Metro’s chief executive officer. “Metro serves the community by providing a money-saving alternative. As commuters realize how much they can save by choosing public transportation, Metro expects ridership to increase even more.”
In Buffalo, NY, the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) credited rising gas prices among other reasons for its ridership increase of nearly 3 percent during the four-month period between October 2010 and January 2011, compared with the same period in the previous year.
“Four dollars is sort of the magic number,” said NFTA Interim Director of Surface Transportation Richard McDermott. “When the price of gasoline gets up to $4 per gallon, people are going to look hard at alternative ways to get around the region—and that means transit.”
McDermott explained that NFTA simplified its fare structure in September 2010 and “rebalanced” the route map in November, adding frequency on lines with more riders and eliminating trips on less popular routes.
A CBS News story on the gas price increases focused on a Los Angeles area commuter who began saving money when she left her car at home and used Los Angeles Metro instead.
“Gas prices in California top the nation so it’s not surprising that we’ve seen a spike in Metro ridership,” said Los Angeles Metro Chief Executive Officer Art Leahy. “We’re poised to take advantage of this opportunity to attract new riders, and we’re working on a dozen new transit projects that will create even more options for commuters and others.”
Even before the gas price situation became a priority, many U.S. public transit systems reported seeing positive signs as far as their ridership.
The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority noted that total rail ridership increased 7 percent in January 2011 over the previous January and the increase on heavy rail alone totaled 11 percent—despite the fact that the 3.6 million rides system-wide during the month were a 4.25 percent decline from last year.
HealthLine Bus Rapid Transit continued a trend that began when it entered operation, seeing its ridership grow 7.5 percent.
The Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority in Oakland, CA, provided 11 percent more rides in January 2011 than in January 2010, and 13.5 percent more in February.
Valley Metro Rail in Phoenix reported that its ridership increases of 7.2 percent in January and 4.2 percent in February are part of a continuing trend dating back to the launch of the light rail system in December 2008. |
