Nearly 2.7 billion trips were taken on U.S. public transportation in the second quarter of 2012 as ridership increased by 1.6 percent over the second quarter of 2011, according to a report released today by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). This was the sixth consecutive quarterly increase.
All major modes of public transportation increased. Light rail and heavy rail saw the largest increases in the second quarter with increases of 4.3 percent and 2.5 percent respectively. Some public transit systems throughout all areas of the United States reported record ridership for the second quarter, including in the following cities: Ann Arbor, MI; Boston, MA; Fort Myers, FL; Grand Rapids, MI; Lewisville, TX; Oklahoma City, OK; Olympia, WA; Portland, OR; and San Carlos, CA.
“Since nearly 60 percent of the trips taken on public transportation are work commutes, public transit is a vital service for cities and towns nationwide,” said APTA President and CEO Michael Melaniphy. “Public transportation not only enables people to get to work, but development around public transit helps to create an economically prosperous community.
Some of the cities experiencing public transit ridership increases as their local economy improves includes: San Francisco (and the Bay area), Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Salt Lake City, Denver, Boston, Chicago, and Phoenix.
To see the complete APTA ridership report go to:
http://www.apta.com/resources/statistics/Documents/Ridership/2012-q2-ridership-APTA.pdf