Metro Transit recorded approximately 14.7 million bus rides for 2013, giving last year the second-highest ridership the company has seen since 2011, according to a city of Madison press release.
The 2013 ridership is a 1 percent increase since 2012, and only a few hundred thousand less than Metro’s highest record of 14.9 million in 2011.
According to the release, the decrease in 2012 was due to a change in routes in the university area, which was the primary factor preventing ridership to break its previous record.
Since 1995, Metro ridership has increased by approximately 52 percent and recent studies show there is room to continue growing, according to the release. The long term increase in ridership is comparable to a nationwide increase of 37.2 percent since 1995, according to the American Public Transportation Association.
According to the release, the most common complaint the company receives from riders is overcrowding on buses. A recent study done on bus sizes by Metro and Madison Area Transportation Planning Board shows that the company can optimize its efficiency and effectiveness by adding 40 buses to city routes.
The new buses would add to the company’s current 214 full-sized buses and 17 paratransit vehicles that already exceed the space limit in the company’s parking garage.
Metro representatives met with federal and state Legislatures to discuss the increased demand in buses and garage space despite an expected decrease in federal funds. Metro is also seeking funding from regional transit authorities in Wisconsin, according to the release.
