Mirroring a national trend in public transportation, TriMet has its most dramatic ridership decrease in its 40-year history.
TriMet experienced its most significant ridership drop in its 40-year history, with weekly trips on bus and rail lines down 15%.
As with other public transportation systems nationwide, the decrease in TriMet trips is being blamed on the recession and job loss in the region.
TriMet spokeswoman Mary Fetsch said that the agency has never experienced anything like the current free fall.
“The drop is about as much as the sudden spike we saw after the Westside MAX opened” in 1998, Fetsch said. “Consider 55,000 jobs lost in the region and then look at the rush-hour numbers.”
Read the full story at OregonLive.com.
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