Metro Ridership In The New Year Jumps Nearly 20%

Posted on: Mar 12, 2012

(Kansas City, Mo. – March 12, 2012) 2012 is starting out with strong ridership growth for the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA). Ridership for January and February 2012 is up nearly 20% over the same time period last year. Recently, KCATA announced a 5.7% rise in ridership for 2011. That amounted to 15.6 million trips, the second highest annual ridership in nearly two decades. In January and February 2012, ridership is already up 18.79% on Metro and MAX routes. “People in Kansas City are realizing that riding The Metro is a convenient way to get to work and school, along with other destinations,” said Mark Huffer, KCATA general manager. “In addition, the warmer than average weather over the last two months meant that customers had an easier time traveling.” The increase in ridership is attributed to an improving employment picture, gasoline prices, the University of Missouri-Kansas City pass program that allows students to ride using their student ID, and an increased awareness of public transportation. Average weekday ridership for January 2012 was just under 53,958, up from 45,915 in January 2011. February figures improved from 46,196 in 2011 to 54,160. People who want to join the growing ranks of Metro riders can visit [url=http://www.kcata.org]http://www.kcata.org[/url], or call the Regional Call Center at (816) 221-0660. The center’s hours are 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays. View our How To Ride video series.