Canadian public transit ridership statistics for the first six months of 2011 show an increase of 4.93% as compared to the same January to June period in the previous year, according to the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA).

"This ridership growth is impressive and shows a strong demand for service," says CUTA President/CEO Michael Roschlau. "Improvements to increase the capacity and the quality of service are having a notable impact."

This rise in Canadian transit ridership represents an addition of just over 45 million new trips taken by Canadians on public transit in the six-month period, a trend that builds on the growth of previous decades.

"Canadians are benefitting from service improvements as a result of increased investment, and are choosing transit more often," says CUTA Chair John King. "It demonstrates clearly that an increasing number of Canadians want to use transit as their preferred travel choice, but only with a steady continuation of transit investment will future ridership demands be met."

CUTA is the national association representing public transit systems, suppliers to the industry, government agencies, individuals and related organizations in Canada.