The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) today released a report showing that Americans took 10.7 billion trips on public transportation last year — the highest annual public transit ridership number in 57 years!
And, yes, population has increased over that same time period, which would partially account for the rise in number of trips, but, to put things in perspective, while public transportation use in 2013 increased by 1.1 percent, vehicle miles traveled on roads (VMT) only went up 0.3 percent.
Seattle was called out in APTA’s press release on the report for both an 9.8% increase in light rail ridership and 3.1% increase in bus ridership. Data from King County Metro showed similar trends at the county level, with December 2013 weekday ridership climbing more than 4 percent compared to a year prior.
Which makes it all the more disturbing that Metro is currently facing up to 17% cuts to bus service, affecting up to 80% of all bus riders, who will have to wait longer or walk farther to get on an overcrowded bus. Some will be left without a way to get around at all.
At a time when Metro should be growing to meet rising demand, we urge you to Vote YES on Proposition 1 on April 22nd, which will raise critical funds to prevent these devastating bus service cuts, and better position Metro to accommodate future growth.
To learn more about Proposition 1, visit www.movekingcountynow.org/.
