U.S. Transit Trips Hit 10.2B in 2009, With Light Rail Up in Nine Cities

(Photo: Model D
Media)

The nation’s transit systems hosted 10.2
billion trips last year, the American Public Transportation Association
(APTA) reported
yesterday. While that figure represents a 3.8 percent decline from
2008, APTA’s data showed light rail ridership rising in nine cities and
the long-term increase in transit use continuing to outpace growth in
population and vehicle miles traveled.

APTA President William Millar portrayed the new ridership figures
as a win for transit, given the economic recession and the fact that
fuel prices declined last year relative to their 2008 highs.

“Considering that nearly 60 percent of riders take public
transportation
to commute to and from work, it is not surprising that ridership
declined in light of the many Americans who lost their jobs last year,”
Millar said in a statement.

Since 1995, APTA has reported a 31-percent increase in transit
ridership nationwide, compared with a 15-percent increase in population
over the same period and a 21-percent increase in highway miles
traveled.

Nine cities reported light-rail ridership increases to APTA:
Baltimore; Oceanside, CA; Memphis; Seattle; Philadelphia; Tampa; San
Francisco; Portland; and New Orleans. Heavy rail networks in Los
Angeles, D.C., Chicago, and Philadelphia also saw more riders last year.