Canadians are using transit at record levels, with a 2.5% increase nationally for a total of 1.63 billion trips taken in 2005. The preliminary public transit ridership statistics for 2005 were reported by the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) on Tuesday. "For the third consecutive year, transit systems are setting ridership records, with the highest-ever number of Canadians using transit last year," says CUTA president and CEO Michael Roschlau. Some reasons for the ridership increase are rising gas prices and auto insurance costs, and transit service increases in some communities. Increased awareness of environmental issues, declining air quality and climate change also may have had an impact on Canadians' choice to take transit.