Recent APTA
report shows highest ridership in 57 years.
But the most interesting detail in the report for me concerns where the increases were:
"Light rail (modern streetcars, trolleys, and heritage trolleys) ridership increased 1.6 percent in 2013 with 17 out of 27 transit systems reporting increases....
Bus ridership increased by 3.8 percent in cities with a population of below 100,000. Nationally, bus ridership in communities of all sizes remained stable, declining by 0.1 percent."
There seems to be a correlation between faster light rail (and heavy rail) service and an increase in ridership. Despite the expansion of bus systems (including BRT) and frequent service, this did not increase bus ridership in 2013. Perhaps others can delve into these numbers better. This may be a good indicator of how much ridership on Powell will increase when given buses vs. light rail.