Weekday ridership on Michigan-based Ann Arbor Transportation Authority's (TheRide) regular fixed-routes increased in average of 6.7 percent, while two routes each added more boardings over the same April through June period last year.

Overall ridership on TheRide fixed-route services was up 3.1 percent in April, 8.7 percent in May and 8.3 percent in June from the corresponding months a year earlier.

TheRide's Night Ride service also experienced a 25 percent increase, or 1,022 boardings, from the previous year. An effort to provide better late-night work transportation between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti contributed to this gain. On April 4, the Night Ride service area was expanded beyond the Ann Arbor city limits to include the area east from Ann Arbor to Golfside Road between Clark Road on the north and Ellsworth on the south.

The program's success means that Night Ride service will be expanded even farther, to serve more of the Ypsilanti area beginning late fall. The expansion is funded by a federal Job Access/Reverse Commute grant with matching funds from the Michigan Department of Transportation.