Monday, December 04, 2006

AATA reaches 5 million rider milestone

"As for buses? Blech. A perfect way to keep us in our cars.", quips an AANews colmnist recently.

But the Good People of Ann Arbor appear to disagree. In early December AATA will celebrate their 5 millionth ride this year, the highest ridership in the organizations history. A large portion of this increase is probably a result of the M-ride program, which allows UofM students, faculty and staff to ride for free since ridership has jumped over the last four months. But the increase is not just from UofM. Ridership has increased 29% over the last five years.

AATA will be giving away free passes and other prizes in early December. They are also seeking essay submissions on their transit experiences. See their news release (PDF) for more details.

Congratulations, AATA!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, it's a common opinion - since driving is easier, driving must be better. None of the holiday songs on the radio tout the virtue of asceticism. I keep hoping that the gas price will someday stay high enough that people feel a monetary, rather than ethical, obligation to stop driving so much. Judy could ride a bike (I do) instead of taking the bus. She would find it is faster and more convenient.

Anonymous said...

Judy is a punk

Scott said...

To be fair, Judy was referring buses for the Ann Arbor-Detroit transit study, not around town.

Still, there is enough auto-elitist snobbery in her statement to spread far beyond the original context.

All the same, Judy is not especially anti-transit. Like so many others, she just hasn't yet realized how sexy the bus is