Nationwide transit ridership in January 2019 was 4.4 percent lower than the same month in 2018, according to data released yesterday by the Federal Transit Administration. Ridership fell for every major mode, including commuter rail (-0.6%), heavy rail (-4.9%), light rail (-0.5%), streetcars (-2.6%), and buses (-4.5%). January had the same number of work days in 2018 and 2019, so that wasn’t a factor in the decline for the month.
Year-over-year ridership (February through January) fell by 2.2 percent, and also fell for every major mode: -0.1% commuter rail, -2.7% heavy rail; -1.0% light rail; -1.3% streetcars, and -2.1% buses. Ridership did grow by 44 percent in January and 20 percent for the year for the minor mode that the FTA calls “hybrid rail,” meaning Diesel-powered light rail. It grew mainly because of the opening of a new line in Oakland.
January ridership fell in 33 of the nation’s 50 largest urban areas, and year-over-year ridership fell in 38 of them. Only seven of the top fifty urban areas enjoyed ridership growth both in January and in the February-January year: Houston, Indianapolis, Austin, Providence, Nashville, Richmond, and Raleigh. Continue reading
