Metro Transit: Ridership Down 4 Percent In 2016
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Despite posting the third-highest ridership in over three decades, Metro Transit's 2016 numbers still took a dip from the previous year.
Metro Transit said Friday they provided more than 82.6 million rides in 2016. That's down about 4 percent from 2015, which featured the highest ridership since 1981.
Metro Transit cited low gas prices and the prolonged closure of Nicollet Mall and contributors to the drop in riders.
They said research shows a $1 drop in gas prices leads to a loss of 300,000 riders each month. The service estimates Nicollet Mall construction led to the loss of about 114,000 monthly rides.
Ridership on the Green Line increased for the second straight year, jumping 2.5 percent from 2015 to 12.7 million rides.
The new rapid service A Line provided about 830,000 rides. Average weekday ridership has increased by about one-third since the service began in June.
Even though overall numbers were down, riders set the single-day record on Sept. 1, when nearly 370,000 boarded Metro Transit buses.