Metro Transit is proud to announce that its 2007 fixed-route ridership is the second highest ridership count in more than 35 years.

Metro's annual ridership for 2007 was 12,672,265, an increase of 5.3% over its 2006 ridership total of 12,034,468.

The 2007 count is the second highest on record dating back to 1971. The highest yearly count recorded is 13,388,926 back in 1982.

Since 2000, Metro's ridership has increased by 25.9%. Paratransit ridership has grown almost 12.1% over the same period.

Some of the many factors attributing to this ridership include:

• very successful unlimited ride pass agreements with several large educational and employer organizations,

• the long term trend towards much higher gasoline costs, and

• commitment by Metro employees to providing professional and friendly transit service

In addition, business and community leaders are to greater extents beginning to realize the vital role of public transportation in addressing global warming by reducing carbon emissions in our community.

According to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), Americans took 10. 1 billion trips on public transportation in 2006, the highest ridership level in 49 years. From 1995 through 2006, national public transportation ridership has increased by 30 percent.

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Metro Transit Historical Fixed-Route Ridership

1971 6,372,734
1972 7,302,694
1973 7,879,092
1974 8,683,583
1975 9,456,019
1976 9,828,149
1977 10,573,824
1978 10,707,015
1979 11,828,519
1980 11,933,703
1981 12,398,910
1982 13,388,926
1983 12,007,723
1984 12,228,881
1985 11,946,337
1986 11,301,361
1987 10,063,120
1988 9,540,787
1989 9,047,940
1990 9,096,485
1991 9,389,637
1992 9,560,739
1993 9,554,959
1994 9,655,615
1995 9,600,678
1996 9,816,095
1997 10,370,107
1998 10,097,867
1999 10,110,441
2000 10,065,495
2001 10,210,834
2002 10,895,089
2003 10,934,125
2004 10,962,345
2005 11,475,597
2006 12,034,468
2007 12,672,265