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Published: May 13, 2008 09:13 AM
Modified: May 13, 2008 09:14 AM
Bus ridership up as gas prices jump
Rising gas prices are driving more people to ride buses, Triangle Transit officials say.The regional bus agency reported that ridership reached 83,926 last month, up 20.5 percent from April 2007. David King, general manager of Triangle Transit, said in a news release that rising fuel prices are only partly behind the increase in riders.The addition of new buses and the agency's SmartCommute Challenge, www.smartcommutechallenge.org, which encourages people to try transit, also are having an impact, he said.More people are asking to form vanpools, as well. Triangle Transit currently has 68 vans on the road.Calls to the GoTriangle Regional Transit Information Center, 485-7433, also have risen.Triangle Transit provides service to to Apex, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Garner, Hillsborough, RDU International Airport, Research Triangle Park and Raleigh.