As gas prices soar, public transportation riders increase
Brentwood Home Page news reports
As gasoline prices soar nationwide, area residents are turning increasingly more to public transportation as their primary means of getting around.

In February, ridership on the Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority’s (MTA) bus routes increased 6.5 percent compared to February a year ago.

The Regional Transportation Authority’s (RTA) services also have seen significant ridership increases. Ridership on the Music City Star in January was up 19 percent compared to January 2010. RTA’s regional bus routes experienced a ridership gain of 23 percent in January 2011 compared to ridership on the same routes in January 2010.

The Route 91X Franklin/Brentwood Express service expanded on Nov. 1 to add two stops at the Vanderbilt campus along with the existing route to and from Music City Central in downtown Nashville. There are two trips in the morning and the afternoon -- one stopping at the Williamson Square Kroger and the other at Brentwood Civitan Ball Park parking lot, next to Lipscomb Elementary School off Concord Road.

Gray Line buses used for the routes are equipped with restrooms and televisions and can accommodate up to 56 passengers.  Cost is $3.50 per ride or $60 for a 20-Ride pass.

“With the recent rise in gas prices, more people are seeking other alternatives to driving their cars, and they are quickly realizing how affordable and convenient public transit can be,” MTA and RTA Chief Executive Officer Paul J. Ballard said.

Train ridership had increased significantly prior to the recent spike in gas prices. Last year was a record year for ridership on the Star with 210,196 passenger trips taken compared to 180,673 passenger trips in 2009, a 16 percent increase. On Feb. 9, 2011, the Star also broke a single-day ridership record with 1,339 passenger trips taken.

Not only are the MTA and RTA experiencing ridership gains, but they also are saving thousands of dollars as a result of a fuel-hedging program that locks in fuel prices at contract rates.

At present, the MTA and RTA are paying $1.88 per gallon at the current contract price through the end of June and will pay $2.30 per gallon effective July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012. Since the fuel-hedging program was first implemented in May 2009, MTA has saved more than $400,000, while the RTA has saved nearly $50,000.

A study recently released by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) predicts that as gasoline prices continue increasing, Americans will turn to public transportation in record numbers.  APTA is calling on Congress to address this impending demand by providing a greater long-term investment in public transportation.  

The analysis reveals if regular gas prices reach $4 a gallon across the nation, as many experts have forecasted, an additional 670 million passenger trips could be expected, resulting in more than 10.8 billion trips per year.

If pump prices jump to $5 a gallon, the report predicts an additional 1.5 billion passenger trips can be expected, resulting in more than 11.6 billion trips per year.   And if prices were to soar to $6 a gallon, expectations go as high as an additional 2.7 billion passenger trips, resulting in more than 12.9 billion trips per year.