Commuter service continues to grow ridership
Brentwood Home Page news reports
It's National Dump the Pump Day and area residents are encouraged to try out mass transit today. For Brentwood residents, that can mean hopping on one of the RTA’s Relax-and-Ride regional express Route 91X buses.
One Greyline bus leaves the Civitan Ball Field parking lot at 6:42 a.m. and another leaves at 7:22a.m. Both take riders to downtown Nashville or Vanderbilt University.

Related stories

INSIDE VEW: RTA bus ride full, comfortable BRENTWOOD VIEW: An inside view on mass transit

The buses return from Nashville at 4:50 and 5:26 p.m. Click here for complete details.

Dump the Pump Day is an annual nationwide event that encourages everyone to ride public transportation and save money by not driving. It’s sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) in partnership with the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

In conjunction with this event, the Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) and the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) will be debuting two new television spots in the area aimed at generating even more regional ridership by emphasizing the money that can be saved by motorists who ride public transit.

Middle Tennessee residents already are getting the message.

In April, ridership on the RTA’s train and bus routes increased 29 percent compared to April a year ago, while ridership on MTA bus routes increased 3 percent.

 “Certainly, we’ve seen a significant increase in ridership this year in response to high gas prices, but we are also seeing new riders enjoying their experience with public transportation and sticking with it,” RTA Chair and Gallatin Mayor Jo Ann Graves said.

For the year, RTA ridership is up 16 percent versus 2010, while MTA ridership is up 7 percent. Ridership on the Music City Star has increased 25 percent year to date through April, compared to the same period last year.