A recently released American Public Transportation Association (APTA) report revealed Americans took 2.4 billion trips on public transportation in the first quarter of 2018.
Officials also acknowledged in comparison to public transit ridership for the first quarter in 2017, there was an overall 3.9 percent decrease in ridership.
The examination noted heavy rail ridership, which includes subways and elevated trains, decreased nationally by 3.8 percent, and bus ridership decreased nationally by 5 percent. Additionally, light rail ridership, in the form of modern streetcars, trolleys, and heritage trolleys, increased in 8 out of 29 transit systems while overall ridership decreased by 5.6 percent. The demand response or paratransit ridership decreased by 1.6 percent while trolleybus ridership decreased by 2.1 percent in the first quarter of 2018.
“It’s well understood today that the landscape of surface transportation is in a state of transformational change and flux,” Paul P. Skoutelas, APTA president and CEO, said. “This new mobility paradigm requires public transit to be inventive, innovative and bold in forging partnerships with new providers, adopting cutting-edge technologies and meeting customers’ evolving desire for more flexible, customized service.”
The complete ridership report is available on the APTA website.