For the seventh consecutive year, public transportation ridership has exceeded 10 billion trips, with 10.5 billion taken in 2012, 154 million more than in 2011 despite the shutdown of public transit service on the East Coast caused by Superstorm Sandy.

APTA President & CEO Michael Melaniphy announced the ridership figures during APTA’s Legislative Conference in Washington, DC, in March.

The strong report shows “a growing demand for public transportation. Every mode of public transportation showed an increase in ridership. Public transit ridership grew in all areas of the country,” ­Melaniphy said.

“Since nearly 60 percent of trips taken on public transpor­tation are for work commutes, it makes sense that ridership increases in areas where the economy has improved and new jobs have been added,” he said.

Ridership on light rail showed the greatest increase at 4.5 percent. Heavy rail increased by 1.4 percent, bus increased by 1 percent, and commuter rail by 0.5 percent.

APTA staff interviewed several public transit officials from small, medium, and large agencies to investigate some of the factors affecting ridership in specific systems. Several themes emerged, including rising gas prices and an improved economy; however, many agency leaders also cited service improvements. A summary follows:

Ann Arbor Transportation ­Authority, Ann Arbor, MI: Officials reported an increase of 6.6 percent, which reflects a record ridership. They attributed the increase to fluctuating gas prices, an improving economy, a mild winter, and access to service.

NJ TRANSIT, Newark, NJ: Systemwide ridership increased by 2.1 percent (rail by 0.8 percent, light rail by 0.3 percent, bus by 3 percent), in spite of the impact of Superstorm Sandy. Officials attribute the increase to economic and employment growth in the region, combined with high gas prices and toll hikes. Record-high rail on-time performance and special events at New Jersey venues also drew riders. Prior to Sandy, ridership was trending 5.1 percent ahead of the previous year.

Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority, Charleston, SC: Officials reported an increase of 9.1 percent. They attributed their record ridership to economic growth, improved service, fare-free trolley service in downtown Charleston, and an improving image of public transit. Also, Boeing located a new facility in ­Charleston (employing an additional 5,500 people), which is located on express and local routes.

Denton County Transportation Authority, Lewisville, TX: Ridership increased by 10.6 percent. The agency added trips to a midday schedule, and noted improvements on all fixed-route bus service and better connectivity among modes.

Valley Metro, Phoenix, AZ: Officials reported an increase of 6.7 percent, which includes the highest light rail ­ridership since the system opened in 2008, due to a greater acceptance of public transit, an improving economy, and unstable fuel prices. They also report that ridership increased overall despite a six-day strike in March when it declined by 10 percent.

These brief anecdotes are a representative sample of public transit systems that experienced increases in ridership, not all such systems. The report reflects calendar year ridership, not fiscal year. Find the complete report here.







About the Ridership Survey Report
The 2012 APTA ridership report is a compilation of quarterly data reported by member public transportation systems online in a secure database and analyzed by APTA’s policy and research experts. APTA has been issuing annual ridership numbers since 1926 and quarterly or monthly numbers since the early 1950s.

The report is based on four data items: ridership for an average weekday for the current calendar year, monthly totals for the current calendar year, and annual totals for the past two calendar years. Details for each system are only reported if there are data for some or all months in the current year (up to and including the current quarter) and the previous year. The data reflect ridership for a calendar year, not a fiscal year.

The data for this special report are for public transportation systems in the United States. For more information, contact Matthew Dickens.

Definitions
Ridership is defined as the number of unlinked passenger trips, which are the number of passengers who board public transportation vehicles. Passengers are counted each time they board vehicles, regardless of the number of vehicles they use to travel from their origin to their destination.

Bus systems are categorized in groups based on the population of the area they serve.

Largest-sized systems: those operating in areas with populations greater than 2 million
Large-sized systems: those operating in areas with populations between 500,000 and 2 million
Medium-sized systems: those operating in areas with populations between 100,000 and 500,000
Small-sized systems: those operating in areas with populations less than 100,000

Passenger Transport also invites readers to submit information at the single most significant factor that affected ridership in their systems in 2012. Share these insights with Passenger Transport (100 words or fewer, please), and we’ll publish a round-up in the April 8 issue.

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