Metro Transit on track for another year of record-breaking ridership

The latest ridership numbers for Metro Transit shows demand for bus service in King County continues to grow at a very strong rate – and it’s barely into October, which historically has been Metro’s busiest month.

"In 2007, we’ve been able to offer more service and more choices," said King County Executive Ron Sims. "It proves that people are willing to green-up their commute and daily travel, if you give them the right options."

Sims pointed out that in addition to the monthly ridership gains, the newly reopened transit tunnel in downtown Seattle is busy again. New service delivered through the Transit Now initiative approved by voters last year has been immediately popular with bus riders.

"People can’t wait for us to launch ‘RapidRide,’ our version of Bus Rapid Transit," he said.

Sims said all indications point to Metro surpassing last year’s record-breaking ridership numbers. In 2006, Metro had more than 103 million boardings for the entire year, with an average daily boarding of 341,000 riders on a typical weekday.

So far in 2007, each month’s ridership has been significantly higher than the same month in 2006. In some months, there has been an increase as high as 32,000 more daily boardings. Overall, Metro’s 2007 ridership is running almost 7 percent higher than 2006.

That puts Metro on the top of the pack nationwide. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) [external link] announced national ridership figures last week for the first six months of the year. Metro was mentioned as having the biggest bus ridership increase among the 26 largest agencies in the nation. In addition to exceeding ridership growth trends for the large agencies, Metro’s trend far exceeds the national rate of growth in bus transit systems. Nationally, APTA reported Americans took 78 million more trips on public transportation during the first six months of 2007, compared to the same time in 2006. 

Here’s a breakdown for Metro’s monthly ridership:

"These numbers are very strong, and we could set a record for the month of October, given it’s one of our strongest months," said Metro General Manager Kevin Desmond. "We’ve been on a growth trend for almost three years now. If you compare the 2007 figures to date with the same period in 2004, average weekday ridership is up 14.7 percent throughout our system."

High gas prices have been a factor in the ridership growth, but it’s also tied to the region’s high employment rate.

"With more jobs, more traffic, and higher gas prices, more and more people are seeking alternatives," said Desmond. "In addition to the bus ridership gains, we have a record number of vanpools and vanshares on the road, another indication of strong demand."

If employment in the region stays strong, Desmond expects transit ridership will also continue to grow. Especially as Metro expands service with new partnerships such as the one that recently debuted with Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, and the upcoming addition of RapidRide.

"It’s a very exciting time for us at Metro," said Desmond. "We know people are eager for these new transit options and for enhanced service on existing routes. Our challenge is to use our resources wisely and efficiently to blend the old with the new in ways that best serve our passengers."