Public transit use on the rise

Despite decreasing gas prices and increasing unemployment rates in the second half of last year, a record number of trips (10.7 billion) were taken on public transportation.

The number of trips nationwide in 2008 was four percent higher than the number of trips in 2007, according to the American Public Transportation Association. At the same, vehicle miles traveled in the U.S. decreased by over three percent from 2007 to 2008.

Boston recorded the fifth highest increase in subway use in the country.

“Even as gas prices fell for the second half of the year and hundreds of thousands of people lost jobs, more and more people chose to ride public transportation throughout the country,” said APTA President William Millar. “Given our current economic condition, people are looking for ways to save money and taking public transportation offers a substantial savings of more than $8,000 a year. That’s quite a savings.”