Public transit providers hit record number of trips
Idahoans who want to stretch their transportation budget by leaving personal vehicles in the garage when gas prices reached record highs are turning more to public transportation. A report recently released by ITD’s Division of Public Transportation indicates trips increased 20 the past year.
In 2007, public transportation providers recorded 159,930 trips; the number escalated to 192,152 this year.
Intercounty motor bus service provided by ValleyRide in the Treasure Valley increased a remarkable 72 percent in June, compared with June of 2007, from 6,714 trips to 11,539 this year. ValleyRide’s bus and demand response service increased 19 percent for the period in Nampa and 14 percent in Boise.
Services provided by Valley Transit in Moscow increased 75 percent from June 2007 to this year, from 3,232 riders to 5,642. Overall, public transportation services by four providers in District 2 increased 27 percent, from 10,345 trips to 13,163 this year.
Ridership increased a collective 61 percent in District 1, which is served by five providers. CityLink provided 33,311 bus and demand response trips, an increase over the 18,089 recorded in June 2007.
The addition of Mountain Rides in District 4 boosted the number of trips by 852 percent from June 2007, reaching 32,717. Only trans IV provided service in 2007 when there were 3,437 trips.
The number of trips reported in District 5 rose 24 percent from June 2007 to this year, increasing from 16,796 to 20,850.
Northwestern Stage Lines, which provides bus transportation throughout Idaho, reported June-to-June increase of 31 percent; the number of trips rose from 918 to 1,205.
The Division of Public transportation tracks statewide multi-modal service and activity, including vanpools, buses, demand response/para transit and inter-city, on a monthly basis. The most recent report was compiled in August.