Metro rail sets more ridership records

This press release just arrived from Metro (the MTA). The trains continue to do well in terms of attracting riders and bus ridership grew from July 2007. But it's interesting that while rail continues to set records this year, bus ridership isn't. Metro officials have said that's the legacy of last year's fare increases when the cost of a day pass went from $3 to $5, making transfers more expensive.

The release is below. At right is the most recent bus ridership chart on Metro's website. It's missing July of this year when ridership, according to the release, was 1,227,752 for the month.

UPDATE: The monthly record for bus ridership was about 1.6 million, according to Metro spokesman Marc Littman. That was apparently set in the late 1980s before the subway or light rail lines were built. As recently as last summer, bus ridership was over 1.3 million a month, so says Metro's website.

Here's the release:

Metro Rail, Metro Orange Line Set Ridership Records in July

All Metro Rail lines and the Metro Orange Line set ridership records in July and the Metro Bus system attracted more riders as commuters and others scrambled to avoid $4-a-gallon gas.

"As gas prices passed the $4-a-gallon range, more and more people began looking for options and many of them turned to Metro for their transportation needs," said Los Angeles Mayor and Metro Board Chair Antonio Villaraigosa. "The challenge for us now is to meet those growing needs."

The Metro Red and Purple subway lines and the Metro Gold, Blue, Green and Orange Lines all set weekday ridership records in July 2008 over July 2007 as riders abandoned their cars and opted for cheap and fast service. And Metro Bus ridership also was up compared to a year earlier.

Last month 319,582 passengers boarded Metro Rail trains on an average weekday, up 20 percent over a year earlier. Nearly half those riders (159,439) rode the subway, which connects downtown Los Angeles to Universal City and North Hollywood via Hollywood on the Red Line with a Purple Line spur to Wilshire and Western.  Ridership on the Metro Red and Purple subway lines was up 20 percent over July 2007 when trains carried 132,049 boarding passengers.         

The Metro Gold Line from downtown Los Angeles to Pasadena continued to set new ridership records, rising from 19,400 average weekday riders in July 2007 to 27,019 in July 2008, a growth of 39 percent.

The Metro Green Line connecting Norwalk and El Segundo also set a record with 46,527  boardings, up 19 percent over July 2007, and the Metro Blue Line, which travels from downtown Los Angeles to Long Beach, rose 15 percent over last year with 86,596 average weekday boardings.

The popular Metro Orange Line, the 14-mile busway from North Hollywood to Woodland Hills in the San Fernando Valley, boosted weekday ridership by nearly 8 percent over last year to 26,907 boardings.

And Metro bus ridership rose, from 1,152,653 in July 2007 to 1,227,752 -- a growth of 6.5 percent.

According to a new analysis by the American Public Transportation Association, it is possible to save more than $8,000 per year, based on a gas price of $3.909, by taking public transportation instead of driving. In Southern California that number is higher, due to higher gas prices.

Go to Metro.net to access the 24/7 Metro Trip Planner and to learn more about Metro rideshare programs or call 1-800-COMMUTE for information.

Comments

[aullman]

People who do not live or work near a commuter line can look into working remotely. Remote Office Centers help people to cut out the commute by providing a local office. Remote Office Centers lease individual offices, internet and phone systems to workers from multiple companies in shared centers. Centers can be found by doing a web search on: "Remote Office Centers" - in quotes.

The solution to the fuel crisis is not one solution. It is many solutions. People are going to have to explore different options in order to save on fuel, since everyone's situation is different.

[Dana Gabbard]

Ugh, I meant to say "Such a new kind of transfer would likely be unacceptable to the Union..."

[Dana Gabbard]

"Transfers are expensive, and unfair given their necessity on the network. Why not have a $3 ticket that's valid for 3/4 hours or some kind of middle ground?"

The politics don't support it. Look at the membership of the Metro Board and who they represent: http://www.metro.net/about_us/board/board_members.htm

Out of public view a lot is worked out through the lens of what serves the needs of the municipal operators, who have powerful political mojo: http://www.metro.net/about_us/committees/bos.htm#TopOfPage

And I am not sure the impact on the Formula Allocation Procedure (though it might be a neat gain for Metro--in which case the munis would try to quash it)http://www.metro.net/about_us/library/Formula%20Allocation%20Procedure.pdf

And even the United Transportation Union, who represent Metro bus operators, might be against such an idea. As it is operators have to keep track of day passes and transfers to the connecting munis. UTU has stated their goal is whatever fare structure Metro has that it not make the job of operators any harder. Such a new kind of transfer would not likely be unacceptable to the Union, maybe even lead to a contract dispute (and Metro's batting average winning those has historically been bad).

[TonyR]

For those of you who wonder why we invest in rail instead of buses - here are your answers. Capacity and choice. While the trains may be quite full at the present time they are much better at accomodating increased demand during periods like the present. There is also no increase in congestion from this rail ridership increase similar to what would occur from putting 20% more buses on the street if there was a 20% increase in bus ridership. It is also obvious from the numbers that non-transit users turn to rail much faster than they turn to bus transit. I take the bus every day and I wish it weren't the case, but this is how it works. Rail infrastructure costs a considerable in the short-term but benefits us greatly in the long-term and especially in times like these.

[Solution]

Transfers are expensive, and unfair given their necessity on the network.

Why not have a $3 ticket that's valid for 3/4 hours or some kind of middle ground?