Mirroring a national trend, ridership on Duluth Transit Authority buses increased in 2008.
The DTA carried more than 3.2 million passengers last year -- 12.8 percent more than in 2007.
It was the first year the DTA carried more than 3 million riders since 2002, when the Duluth school district stopped using the DTA to transport students.
Before 2002, nearly 10 percent of the DTA's passengers were secondary school students transported under the terms of a contract with the school district. After the school district canceled the contract, the DTA reduced its peak-hour fleet from 62 to 45 buses and personnel from 98 employees to 86.
In addition to the increase in overall ridership, participation was up in several of the DTA's programs. The U-Pass program for area colleges had 693,291 riders last year -- a 36 percent increase from 2007.
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The Bike & Bus ridership program transported 20,107 bicycles in 2008 -- a 25 percent increase from 2007.
STRIDE (Special Transit RIDE) transported 24,519 riders in 2008 -- a 3 percent increase from 2007.
"We're very pleased with these numbers," DTA General Manager Dennis Jensen said in a prepared statement. "We picked up a lot of new riders during the surge in fuel prices, and they are continuing to ride. We are especially pleased with the success of the U-Pass program and all the benefits that this has brought to the colleges and to the community."
The DTA's greater numbers are part of a national trend, with more Americans using public transportation because of volatile gas prices and inflation. In December, the American Public Transportation Association announced that Americans were riding public transportation at record levels.
In 2007, riders logged 10.3 billion trips on U.S. public transportation -- the highest number of trips taken in 50 years. The growth continued into 2008, with ridership in the first quarter increasing 3.4 percent from the ridership for the same time during 2007. Second-quarter 2008 numbers were 5.2 percent greater, and third-quarter numbers were 6.5 percent greater.
