Transit ridership nationwide last year reached one of its highest points since 1957, according to a transportation trade group. In the Washington region, Metro kept pace with the trend but predicts that ridership will fall this year. 
 
 The number of bus and train passengers across the country last year was up 2.3 percent compared with 2010, according to figures released Monday by the American Public Transportation Association. 
 
 For subway systems, nationwide ridership was up 3.3 percent. At large agencies, bus ridership was up slightly, by 0.4 percent. Small, medium and large transit systems, as well as commuter bus lines, saw growth, said Michael P. Melaniphy, president and chief executive of the association. 
 
 “People are really flocking to transit,” he said. 
 
 In places such as Boston, Miami, San Francisco and Nashville, ridership is “outpacing employment,” Melaniphy said. Some riders are being lured by new rail lines in cities such as Dallas and the comfort of new buses and trains.The trend is expected to continue as gas prices rise, the economy bounces back and people use public transportation to get to work, he said. 
 
 “They are turning to public transportation as a cost-efficient, dependable, less stressful mode,” Melaniphy said. 
 
 Metro saw overall ridership on its buses and trains do slightly better than the national average, rising 2.4 percent in 2011. Rail ridership grew just 0.4 percent, while bus ridership far outstripped the national trend with an increase of 7.1 percent. 
 
 Dan Stessel, Metro’s chief spokesman, said the growth was partly “attributable to more favorable weather this winter versus last winter.” Bus ridership, he said, is “increasing at a higher rate because there’s been a population increase in the District, and many of the new residents are very comfortable taking the bus.” 
 
 But according to Metro estimates, its rail ridership for fiscal 2013, which begins July 1, may drop 3 percent, while bus use may remain relatively flat. 
 
 Metro has been plagued by problems that might be pushing riders away, said Ronald F. Kirby, director of transportation planning at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. 
 
 “Here, they’ve not added new rail service,” he said. “There’s been a significant fare hike in the last few years and they’re considering another, and people have lost some of their transit benefits. That’s an enormous hit, and that’s dampening demand.” 
 
 Even though Metro is investing $5 billion over six years to fix the deteriorating system, Kirby said the “problems are still there on a day-to-day basis” for riders. 
 
 “There are people who are not riding the system because it is not reliable,” he said. “It’s not worth what they have to pay compared to the alternatives.” 
 
 There might be more trouble ahead. 
 
 The amount of money commuters are allowed to set aside for transit before taxes are taken out of their paychecks fell by $105 this year. Congress is debating whether to increase it. If the increase doesn’t happen, it could mean a decline in Metrorail ridership of nearly 3 percent and a $16 million drop in revenue, according to the transit authority’s estimates. 
 
 A possible across-the-board fare increase also could push away riders. Metro General Manager Richard Sarles has proposed the increases in rail and bus fares and parking fees to help fill a $116 million budget deficit. 
 
 Metro officials estimate that rail and bus ridership could drop by 1.2 percent if fare increases take effect. But any drop in revenue from lower rail ridership is expected to be dwarfed by the approximately $60 million that a fare increase would generate, Stessel said. 
 
 Some riders at six recent Metro hearings on the proposals complained that they do not want to pay more because they think the system is unreliable. 
 
 Atlanta’s transit system experienced a loss of riders in 2011 after several years of cutting service and raising fares. The subway there saw a 3.5 percent drop in ridership compared with 2010, according to the transportation association. 
 
 That, coupled with a still-struggling economy and a depressed housing market, means fewer people are using Atlanta’s buses and rail, said Ted Basta, chief of business support service at the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority. 
 
 With high unemployment, it translates to “fewer people going to work, and that means fewer people using transit,” he said. ||||| Page Content 
 
 According to a report released today by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), Americans took 10.4 billion trips on public transportation in 2011, the second highest annual ridership since 1957. Only ridership in 2008, when gas rose to more than $4 a gallon, surpassed last year’s ridership. With an increase of 2.3 percent over the 2010 ridership, this was the sixth year in a row that more than 10 billion trips were taken on public transportation systems nationwide. During 2011, vehicle miles of travel (VMTs) declined by 1.2 percent. 
 
 “U.S. public transportation ridership in 2011 is now the second highest ridership since 1957,” said APTA President and CEO Michael Melaniphy. “What is exciting is that the uptick in ridership occurred in large, medium and small communities, showing the broad support that public transportation has nationwide. In fact, the largest rate of growth was in rural communities with populations under 100,000 where public transit use increased by 5.4 percent.” 
 
 “Two top reasons for the increased ridership are higher gas prices and in certain areas, a recovering economy with more people returning to work,” said Melaniphy. “Since nearly sixty percent of trips taken on public transportation are for work commutes, it’s not surprising to see ridership increase in areas where the economy has improved.” 
 
 Noting that the increased use of passenger information technology is also contributing to higher ridership, Melaniphy said, “The exponential growth of apps to track bus and rail arrival times is demystifying the ridership experience and attracting new customers to public transportation. More and more people are now able to find out when the next bus and train will arrive through public transit apps. This is making public transportation more attractive.” 
 
 “There should be no doubt Americans need and want public transportation,” said Melaniphy. “Congress needs to pass a well funded, multimodal, multi-year transportation bill that will help meet current and growing demand.” 
 
 To see the complete APTA 2011 ridership report, go to http://www.apta.com/resources/statistics/Documents/Ridership/2011-q4-ridership-APTA.pdf 
 
 2011 Ridership Breakdown 
 
 Light rail (modern streetcars, trolleys, and heritage trolleys) ridership increased 4.9 percent in 2011. Light rail systems that showed increases in 2011 were located in the following cities: Seattle, WA – King County DOT (37.2%); Dallas, TX (31.2%); Buffalo, NY (15.6%); Oceanside, CA (14.8%); Salt Lake City, UT (14.4%); Seattle, WA – Sound Transit (11.8%); New Orleans, LA (11.3%); Philadelphia, PA (9.6%); San Diego, CA (7.3%); and Memphis, TN (6.3%). 
 
 Heavy rail (subways and elevated trains) ridership increased by 3.3 percent across the country. Heavy rail systems with increases in ridership for 2011 were in the following cities: Cleveland, OH (12.3%); San Juan, PR (12%); Baltimore, MD (8.7%); Boston, MA (7.2%); San Francisco, CA (5.6%); Chicago, IL (5%); Miami, FL (4.9%); New York, NY (4.9%); Philadelphia, PA (4.7%); and Lindenwold, NJ (3.9%). 
 
 Nationally, commuter rail ridership increased by 2.5 percent in 2011. With a new rail line extension that opened in December 2010, the commuter rail in Austin, TX, saw an increase of 169% due to additional and weekend service. The follow six commuter rail systems saw double digit increases in 2011: Nashville, TN (33%); Oceanside, CA (21%); Portland, OR (20%); Alexandria, VA (12.7%); Salt Lake City, UT (10.4%); and Stockton, CA (10.3%). Commuter rail systems that also reported increases were: Oakland, CA (8.3%); Seattle, WA – Sound Transit (7.6%); and Anchorage, AK (7%). 
 
 Large bus systems reported an increase of 0.4 percent nationally. The following bus systems showed an increase: Columbus, OH (10.1%); Saint Louis, MO (10%); Orlando, FL (8.4%); Miami, FL (8.3%); Washington, DC (7.1%); San Diego, CA (6.8%); San Antonio, TX (6.3%); Arlington Heights, IL (4.6%); Minneapolis, MN (4.3%); and Baltimore, MD (3.9%). 
 
 Demand response (paratransit) ridership increased in 2011 by 3.2 percent and trolleybus ridership increased by 1.2 percent. 
 
 Separate from the 2011 ridership report, below is a sampling of 2012 ridership that shows continued momentum and increased ridership nationwide. 
 
 Albany, NY - Capital District Transportation Authority 
 
 January – Increased 13% - Experiencing record ridership; Expect to close with 14.5 million boardings for this fiscal year (to close on March 31st.) Expected to be the highest ridership in close to 25 years. 
 
 Ames, IA – CyRide 
 
 January – Increased 7.5% 
 
 February – Increased 9.8% 
 
 Ann Arbor, MI - Ann Arbor Transportation Authority 
 
 January and February – Increased 7.2% each month 
 
 Arlington Heights, IL – Pace Suburban Bus 
 
 January – Increased 7.5% 
 
 Boston, MA – Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority 
 
 January – Increased 10.2%; January marked the twelfth consecutive month of ridership growth at the MBTA. 
 
 Burnsville, MN - Minnesota Valley Transit Authority 
 
 January – Increased 2% 
 
 February – Increased 8% 
 
 
 
 Charleston, SC - Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority 
 
 January – Increased 16.76% 
 
 Cleveland, OH - Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority 
 
 January - Increased 5.3%; Nine consecutive months of increased ridership. 
 
 College, PA - Centre Area Transportation Authority 
 
 January – Increased 2.5% 
 
 Columbus, OH - Central Ohio Transit Authority 
 
 January – Increased 6.1% 
 
 Corpus Christi, TX – Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority 
 
 January – Increased 9.1% 
 
 Durham, NC - Durham Area Transit Authority (DATA) 
 
 January - Increased 15.6% 
 
 Fort Myers, FL – Lee County Transit 
 
 January – Increased 20.8% -Record double digit ridership for the past six months 
 
 Grand Rapids, MI – The Rapid 
 
 January – Increased 12.2% 
 
 Houston, TX - Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County 
 
 January - Increased system wide 5.2%; Six consecutive months of increased ridership. 
 
 Indianapolis, IN - Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation 
 
 January – Increased 19.09% 
 
 Kansas City, MO - Kansas City Area Transportation Authority 
 
 January – Increased 16.76% 
 
 February – Increased 21.12% 
 
 Los Angeles, CA - Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority 
 
 January - Rail increased 3%; Bus increased 1% 
 
 Muncie, IN - Muncie Indiana Transit System 
 
 January – Increased 5.21% 
 
 February – Increased 17.4% 
 
 Nashville, TN - Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority & Regional Transportation Authority 
 
 January – Increased 16.7%; anticipate hitting a combined MTA/RTA milestone of 10 million passenger trips this fiscal year which ends June 30. 
 
 Oakland, - CA - Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority 
 
 January – Increased 7% 
 
 
 
 Olympia, WA – Intercity Transit 
 
 January – Increased 4% 
 
 February – Increased 11.6% 
 
 2011 was the highest ridership for the system in 31 years 
 
 Orange, CA – Orange County Transportation Authority 
 
 January – Increased 2% 
 
 Orlando, FL – LYNX 
 
 January – Increased 7% 
 
 Peoria, IL - Greater Peoria Mass Transit District (CityLink) 
 
 January – Increased 16% 
 
 Philadelphia, PA – SEPTA 
 
 January – Increased 6% 
 
 Phoenix, AZ - Valley Metro Rail 
 
 January – Increased 8.3% 
 
 February – Increased 5.1% 
 
 Pompano Beach, FL - Broward County Transit Division 
 
 January – Increased 8.9% 
 
 Reading, PA - Berks Area Regional Transportation Authority 
 
 January - Fixed route increased 8.9% 
 
 Research Triangle Park, NC – Triangle Transit 
 
 January - Increased 30.7%; Have had double digit increases for Triangle Transit every month since January 2011. The lowest has been around 17%, the highest was 33.9% in August 2011 
 
 Richmond, VA - Greater Richmond Transit Company 
 
 January - Increased 6.8% 
 
 Salt Lake City, UT – Utah Transit Authority 
 
 January – Increased 6.5%; 
 
 San Antonio, TX - VIA Metropolitan Transit 
 
 January – Increased 10.07%; experiencing tremendous growth in ridership recently with record ridership numbers for January 2012. 
 
 San Carlos, CA - SamTrans | Caltrain 
 
 January – Increased 12.2% 
 
 San Jose, CA - Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority 
 
 January - Bus and Light Rail increased 3.5% 
 
 Seattle, WA – Sound Transit 
 
 January - Light Rail increased 5%; ST Express Regional Bus increased 8.2% 
 
 
 
 Springfield, MO - City Utilities of Springfield, MO 
 
 January – Increased 15% 
 
 February – Increased 24% 
 
 State College, PA - Centre Area Transportation Authority 
 
 January – Increased 2.5% 
 
 Tampa, FL - Hillsborough Transit Authority (HART 
 
 January - Increased 7.3%; January marks a two-year streak of continued, month-after-month ridership increases. 
 
 Urbana, IL - Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District 
 
 January – Increased 5.2% 
 
 February – Increased 10.7% 
 
 Wilmington, DE – Delaware Transit Corporation 
 
 January – Weekday increased 15.1%
– If you think the subway has felt extra crowded lately, you likely aren't imagining things: Americans are hopping on public transportation more often, according to a new report out today, with the number of bus and train passengers last year reaching its second highest level since 1957. Nationwide, transit ridership was up 2.3% from 2010, to 10.4 billion trips, the American Public Transportation Association says. Vehicle miles of travel, meanwhile, dropped 1.2%. The number of subway riders was up 3.3%; bus ridership was up as well, about 0.4%, the Washington Post notes. "People are really flocking to transit," says the president of the association, noting that in some large cities, ridership is "outpacing employment." He credits improved rail lines, buses, and trains; high gas prices are also likely contributing to the trend. Another transit-boosting factor? Apps. "The exponential growth of apps to track bus and rail arrival times is demystifying the ridership experience and attracting new customers to public transportation," he says.