MTA ridership up 11% this fiscal year

Jump equates to 1 million extra trips

Email | Print By Amy Griffith

Ridership on the Nashville Metro Transit Authority has reached 9.4 million trips in the last fiscal year, according to figures reported today. That represents an 11 percent increase – equivalent to about 1 million additional trips – over last year.

“We have built a bus system that is now providing more trips than at any other time in recent decades,” said MTA CEO Paul Ballard in a statement today. “We have made major strides in improving the quality of our services. This is indeed contributing to the increase in ridership each year.”

News of increased ridership comes on the heels of route and fare changes for MTA riders. Last month, the MTA increased its bus fare to $1.60 and five routes were cut July 1. The fare increase and route reductions were a result of soaring diesel fuel costs, which have left the department with an anticipated budget shortfall of about $3 million, officials say.

MTA was looking at more bus routes being eliminated, but was able to restore three after Metro Council found an extra $1 million for the department’s operating budget. The extra $1 million came from several Metro contingency accounts, in addition to the city’s hotel/motel tax.

Officials attribute increases in MTA ridership to rising gas prices, EasyRide partnerships with businesses, aggressive marketing and the installation of equipment on all buses to allow customers to pay for fares with credit cards.

“Considering the rising cost of fuel, I believe now more than ever people are looking for alternative ways to commute to work,” said Mayor Karl Dean in a statement issued by MTA. “The record MTA ridership for the last fiscal year certainly speaks to that demand.”

MTA’s EasyRide program, which officials credit for a big part of the ridership increase, allows businesses and universities to pay for employees and students to ride the bus to work. EasyRide for Metro employees kicked off this morning, with Dean riding the bus to work. Other organizations with EasyRide programs include Vanderbilt University and Medical Center, Belmont University, the State of Tennessee, Bass Berry & Sims, Louisiana-Pacific, the U.S. Corps of Engineers, U.S. Bankruptcy Court and the U.S. Probation Dept.

In his Wednesday statement, Dean said he is “proud” bus rides can be offered to Metro employees in a tight fiscal year.

Over the past few years, 100 new MTA buses and 43 new paratransit vans have been purchased and received, and the entire fleet is now fully accessible to people with disabilities, according to MTA information. A total of 36 routes are currently offered in Davidson County.

Despite Metro budget woes, construction of Music City Central, the new downtown transit hub for MTA riders, remains on schedule for completion in October. The new center will be a multi-level indoor facility with customer waiting rooms, ticketing and information booth and retail businesses. The new facility will replace the outdoor transit mall on Deaderick Street.