CALPIRG Blog

As recent stories in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Contra Costa Times, and other news outlets have indicated, the rise in gas prices has led to a jump in public transit ridership in cities around the country. Especially since gas prices aren't expected to drop any time soon, state officials must ensure our bus and rail services have enough funding to accommodate (and perhaps more importantly, retain) the growth in ridership. Last year we were disappointed when the legislature and governor cut more than $1.2 billion from public transit agencies. As the governor prepares to announce the May revise to the proposed budget this week, we’re urging him to invest in public transit services and expansion so that we can keep increasing ridership in the future. Next week, I’ll be participating in a Lobby Day to urge the legislature to do the same.  

From the Los Angeles Times: 

After declining at the end of 2007, L.A. rail and bus ridership started rising in January. From January to March, average weekday boardings were up 16% on the Red Line rail system, 13% on the Blue Line and 17% on the Gold Line, which set a record for highest average weekday boardings in March with 22,231. Bus ridership grew 8% from January to March.

From the New York Times:  

Caltrain, the commuter rail line that serves the San Francisco Peninsula and the Santa Clara Valley, set a record for average weekday ridership in February of 36,993, a 9.3 percent increase from 2007, according to its most recent public calculation.

From the Contra Costa Times: 

Riders have flocked to ACE and Capitol Corridor trains, which run from the Sacramento area to San Jose via the East Bay. On both services, ridership rose 13.6 percent in the first quarter of 2008 compared with the same quarter last year.