Thursday, September 23, 2010

Transit Ridership Shows Gains Across Nation

The nation’s improving economy was reflected in increased transit ridership in the second quarter, according to figures released this week by the American Public Transit Association (APTA). More than 2.5 billion trips were taken on public transportation, up 0.1 percent over the same quarter in 2009.

The up-tick reverses a trend of five consecutive quarters in ridership reductions as high unemployment took its toll on public transit, along with the rest of the economy.

APTA President William Miller noted that nearly 60 percent of the transit trips were for commuting to and from work, which is what Yes2Rail believes Honolulu rail will be primarily – a way for commuters to travel traffic-free between home, work and school.

Of course, many of us will use rail for mid-day trips or evening travel – to the station near Aloha Stadium, for example. Would anyone like to argue that taking the train to the stadium will be less desirable than driving?

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