Public transportation ridership up 2% in 2001

For the sixth consecutive year, ridership on public transportation reached a record high. In 2001, ridership was up by 2% to a total of 9.5 billion. Last year, public transportation use grew twice as fast as car use (1%) and has grown faster than any other mode of travel over the past six years. Modes of transportation showing the largest percentage increases for ridership in 2001 were demand-response/paratransit at 7.6%, light rail at 3.5%, commuter rail at 2.3% and bus systems at 2.1%. Some of the highest ridership gains for multimodal systems include the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (15%), Denver’s Regional Transportation District (6.7%) and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (5.9%).