Metro ridership up over 2009 even with fare hike

Monday, May 17, 2010

From an article by Dean Mosiman in The Capital Times:

A controversial Metro Transit bus fare hike hasn’t had the dramatic negative impact on ridership and revenues that some feared.

In April 2009, the City Council increased Metro Transit cash bus fares from $1.50 to $2 and raised the price of passes and ticket packages.

Yet Metro ridership still rose 1.4 percent to 13.58 million in 2009, the highest ridership in 30 years, the bus system reported. The ridership is about what Metro anticipated with the fare increase, but far less than the 6 percent projected increase if there had been no fare hike.

In the first three months of 2010, ridership rose 1.5 percent compared to the first three months of 2009, Metro reported.

One thing helping ridership is Metro’s new Commute Card program, an unlimited ride pass for small businesses and employers, Metro spokesman Mick Rusch said.