The renewed interest in public transit ridership is something often discussed on Columbus Underground as a trend for millennials and urban dwellers that continue to relocate to walkable urban neighborhoods where transit systems are easiest to use. Yesterday, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) released new ridership numbers that show that this trend is on the rise all across the US in a very significant way.
The group’s annual report revealed that 10.65 billion passenger trips were taken in 2013, which was the highest ridership level since 1956. Furthermore, ridership was higher in 2013 than it was in 2008 (10.59 billion trips) when gas prices were between four and five dollars per gallon.
“There is a fundamental shift going on in the way we move about our communities,”said APTA President and CEO Michael Melaniphy in yesterday’s release. “People in record numbers are demanding more public transit services and communities are benefiting with strong economic growth.”
As we reported in December, all forms of alternative transportation are on the rise in Columbus, with bus ridership growing the most rapidly. The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) reported a small increase from 18.69 million trips in 2012 to 18.75 million trips in 2013. Ridership has trended upward at COTA since 2007, when ridership was at 14.97 million trips per year. That marks a 25% ridership increase in the past seven years.
“Our ongoing service expansion has added several hundred thousand hours of service in recent years,” said Lisa Knapp, Media Relations Manager at COTA. “By the end of 2014, we project that we will provide more than 985,000 service hours annually.”
New public transit projects that are currently underway in Columbus include the free new Downtown Circulator launching May 5th, the introduction of BRT on Cleveland Avenue, and Real-Time Tracking Displays to keep riders informed of the next arriving buses.
Two passenger rail projects currently being studied include a light-rail connector between the Columbus Convention Center at Port Columbus, and a High-Speed Train Route between Columbus and Chicago.
COTA is currently seeking input on the future of transportation in Columbus. You can fill out their online survey by CLICKING HERE.
For more information, visit www.apta.com.
For ongoing transit discussion, CLICK HERE to visit our Messageboard.