TheRide Sees Surge in Ridership: High gas prices, stepped up outreach efforts cited for increase | Facebook

TheRide Sees Surge in Ridership: High gas prices, stepped up outreach efforts cited for increase | Facebook: "Overall ridership on TheRide fixed route services was up 3.1 percent in April, 8.7 percent in May
and 8.3 percent in June from the corresponding months a year earlier, an overall average increase
of 6.7 percent. Routes with notable increases include:

#17 Amtrak-Depot St. route: 50 percent increase
#2 Plymouth route:14 percent increase
#4 Washtenaw route: 11 percent increase
#8 Pauline route: 10 percent increase

Between April and June of this year, the A2 Express service to Chelsea and Canton surged an average
of 34 percent over the same period last year. TheRide’s Manager of Community Relations Mary Stasiak
attributes the growth to increased outreach efforts for the new express bus service.

“We’ve been emphasizing the A2 Express in our outreach campaign and how public transportation
benefits riders and helps the economy,” said Stasiak. “It’s great to see that message resonating,
because we all benefit.”

Stasiak also pointed out the benefit to the riders of the A2 Express, noting that a rider on the
Chelsea service who travels on a daily basis can save about $1,200 a year."