13,552,543. That’s a huge number of riders for MTD during the last year and it was their highest ever. That number speaks to how great our public transportation is in C-U. It’s great and hopefully that number continues to climb.
From the release:
The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (MTD) has tabulated final ridership figures for the period July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015 (FY2015). MTD’s ridership for this period was a record high 13,552,543. This is the 7th consecutive year in which MTD has carried a record number of riders. The FY2015 ridership is a 2% increase over FY2014, and is more than four million rides more than in FY2009.
MTD’s ridership for this community of 130,000 is higher than much larger Nashville, TN, Omaha, NE, or Indianapolis, IN. Lafayette, IN’s CityBus, which serves Purdue University, carries fewer than half the number of riders of MTD. And MTD’s ridership is higher than the combined ridership of downstate Illinois transit providers Bloomington-Normal, Decatur, Rock Island, and Springfield.
MTD introduced ultra-high frequency service on the 1/100 Yellow, 5/50 Green, 10 Gold, 12/120 Teal, 13/130 Silver, and 22/220 Illini in 2008 and 2009. At that time, a complete realignment of campus routes was also completed as well as improved service to downtown Champaign and downtown Urbana. MTD’s STOPwatch real-time tools are being utilized in ever higher numbers, improving customer information and confidence. MTD’s bus fleet is 54% hybrid, offering a smooth, quiet ride. Semi-annual customer research shows that customer satisfaction levels are routinely in the 96% to 99% range.
Passengers are automatically counted by Automatic Passenger Counters (APCs) when they board the bus at any door. The accuracy of these counters is verified monthly through manual counts.
Ridership growth is always a MTD goal and MTD customers are clearly taking advantage of transit in ever-larger numbers. Those who choose public transportation are able to get where they need to go while saving money, accruing health benefits, and reducing their carbon footprint. Greater utilization of public transportation benefits all members of the community: less traffic congestion, improved air quality and reduced consumption of fossil fuels, and greater availability of parking. MTD is grateful for our customers’ loyalty and pledges continuing service excellence.