SamTrans reflects a national and regional trend as people continue to see public transportation as an exceptional value, even with gas prices dropping.

On the Peninsula, bus ridership hit new highs. SamTrans averaged 56,130 weekday riders in October, up 10.2 percent when compared to 50,930 in October 2007.

Nationwide, ridership continued to hit record levels, an increase which was spurred in large part by volatile gasoline prices. According to a survey released by the American Public Transportation Association, there has been a 6.5 percent increase in transit ridership over the same period last year, the largest quarterly increase in public transportation in 25 years.

High ridership nationwide on every mode of transit may be attributed to the higher cost of living which is forcing more Americans to look for ways to economize, cited the APTA report.

In addition to saving money, one of the top three reasons SamTrans customers cited for taking the bus was that “it was good for the environment.” By taking public transit instead of driving, a single person saves 4,800 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.

This is the third consecutive month that SamTrans has seen an increase in average weekday ridership. Ridership was up 7.1 percent in July, 7.6 percent in August and 7.7 percent in September.

SamTrans operates 54 bus routes throughout San Mateo County and into Palo Alto and San Francisco. Each bus can accommodate up to two wheelchairs and bicycles.

For more information about fares and schedules, call SamTrans Customer Service at 1-800-660-4287 (TTY 650-508-6448)

12/16/2008 - msk
Media Contact: Mary Knuckles, 650-508-6356