Rail public transportation ridership during the first nine months of 2015 was up slightly when compared with the same period of 2014, the American Public Transportation Association has reported.
However, the total number of public transportation trips fell 1.2 percent when 2015 ridership was compared with 2014.
APTA said that nearly 8 billion trips were using all modes of U.S. public transportation during the study period of 2015, which represented 95.6 million fewer trips when compared with 2014.
The trade association attributed the decline to falling gas prices that may have led some people to return to driving.
Heavy-rail ridership inched up 0.3 percent, with 11 of 15 systems reporting increases. Cities that reported increased heavy-rail ridership included Cleveland (3.7 percent), San Francisco (3 percent), Philadelphia (1 percent), and Atlanta (0.8 percent).
Light-rail ridership rose 0.3 percent during 2015’s first three quarters, with eight of 27 systems logging increases.
Three cities experienced double-digit increases in this category: Minneapolis (59.4 percent); Buffalo, New York, (25.6 percent); and Houston (19.5 percent).
Overall, ridership on commuter railroads climbed 0.2 percent from January through September 2015.
Tags: American Public Transportation Association, Public transportation ridership
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