More North Carolinians are opting for public transportation, according to transit system data. Some riders say they’re taking the bus more because of high gas prices.
RALEIGH -- More North Carolinians are opting for public transportation, according to transit system data. Some riders say they’re taking the bus more because of high gas prices.
Jasper Lewis takes a Capital Area Transit (CAT) bus to work at WakeMed in the mornings now because the people he used to carpool with have stopped it because of higher gas prices.
"It's a lot higher than I'm willing to pay, and [the bus] is convenient,” Lewis said.
Gas prices have jumped to record highs in the last year. Data from AAA Carolinas shows that commuters in North Carolina pay an average of $3.72 for a gallon of gas, which is up 77 cents from a year ago.
Since April 2007, figures from various Triangle transit systems show that ridership has increased across the board. CAT transported more than 317,000 people on their buses in April; that’s up 11 percent from April 2007. The Durham Area Transit Authority (DATA) saw a 9.5 percent increase with close to 418,000 riders last month, and the Chapel Hill Transit (CHT) saw a 30 percent rise to 621,000 passengers during the same time period.
CHT director Steve Spade said this is “uncharted territory” for them. Spade added that the transit system services an area of about 90,000 people and could end up seeing 6.5 million riders for the year.
Stacey Carless, a marketing specialist with CAT, said those figures are not really surprising.
“We kind of expect more people want to find ways to save a little bit more money, but transit's kind of unpredictable," she said.
Jean Leier, a spokeswoman for the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) said ridership on their entire system, which includes buses, trolleys and the light rail, has gone up 28.4 percent. On buses alone, ridership has increased by 7 percent. Officials with the transit authority in High Point said they are seeing an increase of 6.5 percent.
Regional systems are also seeing a bump in the number of riders. The Triangle Transit Authority (TTA) reported transporting 83,926 people last month for an increase of 20.5 percent over last April. Piedmont Area Regional Transportation officials said they bused 26,756 people in April, which is an 18 increase in the last year.
Officials said they’re not sure where the ridership stats will go in the future, but bus riders like Lewis know what they’ll be taking.
"I've gotten very comfortable with commuting on public transportation, so I think even if prices decrease, I think I'll still ride public transportation," he added.
NC DOT website that provides information about transportation systems across the state