Last year, 10.1 billion trips were taken on public transportation in the United States, according to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), marking a 2.9 percent decrease in ridership from 2016.
The drop is attributed to a 4.3 percent fall in bus ridership. Ridership increased in only four of the 29 public transit systems examined in APTA’s study: Phoenix, Arizona; San Francisco, California; Arlington Heights, Illinois; and Seattle, Washington.
Ridership for subways and elevated trains also decreased, by 2.1 percent.
Ridership for commuter rail grew in 18 transit systems, but overall ridership dropped 0.2 percent.
Heritage trolleys, modern streetcars, and trolleys had ridership grow in 11 transit systems, overall ridership fell 0.8 percent.
Paratransit ridership grew 0.4 percent.
“While we are in a time of great change, in part due to technological innovations, public transit remains a critical part of any community’s transportation network,” Paul Skoutelas, APTA president and CEO, said. “Public transportation organizations are revamping their services and experimenting with pilot projects to be more time and cost competitive, and more customer-focused to meet the needs of today’s riders and the growing population.”
Transit systems are partnering with community organizations and other transportation companies to add new riders. Others have increased bus service hours and frequency.