Metro riders increase 26%

From the St. Louis Business Journal, Tuesday, October 30, 2007 - 5:03 PM CDT

Public transit use in the St. Louis area is on the rise and it's a good thing given the pending closures of Highway 40 (Interstate 64), according to Metro's recent ridership report.

Almost 1.5 million new passengers rode on MetroLink between July 1 and Sept. 30, nearly a 26 percent increase compared to the same period a year ago. Officials cite the Shrewsbury/Interstate 44 extension as one of the biggest factors for the increase.

MetroBus ridership is up slightly, posting almost 0.5 percent gain during the first quarter of fiscal year 2008. Overall, ridership across the entire Metro system, which includes MetroLink, MetroBus and Metro Call-A-Ride, increased more than 10 percent in the first quarter compared to the first quarter in fiscal 2007.

Ridership trends should continue to accelerate when a portion of Highway 40 is shut down in January prompting many to seek alternative modes of transportation, according to Todd Plesko, Metro's chief of planning and system development.

Metro is the operator of the Metro public transportation system for the St. Louis region, which includes the 87 vehicle, 46-mile MetroLink light rail system; 395 MetroBus vehicle fleet that operates on 79 MetroBus routes; and Metro Call-A-Ride, a paratransit fleet of 123 vans.