AATA bus ridership hits record high with more than 6.3M riders this past year
Bus ridership with the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority climbed 7 percent to a record level for the 2011-12 fiscal year, continuing strong gains as the agency looks to build support for a 2013 tax proposal to take bus service countywide.
Riders board an AATA bus at the Blake Transit Center on Oct. 3. The agency saw record-high ridership this past year.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
The figure is more than 200,000 rides higher than the previous record of 6.1 million rides set in 2009.
Officials attribute the growth in ridership to fluctuating gas prices, the improving economy, a mild winter and improvements in on-time performance. The agency in January also doubled the frequency of weekday service on the No. 4 Washtenaw route between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, resulting in a 28 percent increase in ridership.
“AATA and leaders throughout Washtenaw County are responding to this record demand for transit by developing comprehensive plans to introduce countywide transportation service in 2013,” AATA CEO Michael Ford said in a release. “It is critical to Washtenaw County’s quality of life and future development that we put together the talent and resources to deliver a countywide transit system our entire community can be proud of."
The agency's governing board earlier this month voted to incorporate a new countywide transit authority called the Washtenaw Ride as part of a five-year plan to expand service. Officials plan to seek a vote on a countywide transit tax to support the new entity, which would replace the AATA, in 2013.
The 0.584-mill levy could potentially raise about $7.7 million in the first year if all jurisdictions participated. It would be added atop a 2-mill tax already levied on Ann Arbor taxpayers and a 1-mill tax on property owners in Ypsilanti to fund AATA.
The agency's five-year plan envisions expanded service hours in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, more service for Chelsea, Dexter, Milan, Saline and other communities being asked to pay, and extended weekend and late-night service, among other changes.
Nine routes posted record ridership in fiscal year 2011-12, led by the No. 4 Washtenaw route, which increased 21.8 percent; No. 10 Ypsilanti Northeast, which rose 20.9 percent; and No. 18 Miller-University, which climbed 20.2 percent.
Also seeing record numbers of passengers were specialty services including the ExpressRide routes between Ann Arbor and Chelsea and between Ann Arbor and Canton, and NightRide and special event routes.
Nationwide, public transportation ridership in 2011 reached its second-highest annual figure since 1957, according to the American Public Transportation Association.
Annual AATA ridership has risen by more than 50 percent since 2004, the agency said.
Contact freelancer Sven Gustafson at sventg123(at)gmail(dot)com, or follow him on Twitter.
Comments
Basic Bob
Wed, Oct 24, 2012 : 2:24 a.m.
On Wednesday, Pittsfield is opting out. The resolution is already written, and dissent among board members is not an option. Diverse and welcoming... no longer.
jns131
Tue, Oct 23, 2012 : 5:28 p.m.
I talked with someone at the downtown Ypsi library and they said their resources are stretched due to the fact that AATA is not getting riders out to Whittaker Road Library. They really need to consider a bus to and from that area. If they open up a ridership to that area I am voting yes on a district wide tax. Otherwise, count me out.
Ron Granger
Tue, Oct 23, 2012 : 1:23 p.m.
Ann arbor taxpayers should not subsidize non-taxpaying umich students using our buses. Are taxpayers building and funding a bus system to service the university?
Carl
Tue, Oct 23, 2012 : 5:18 p.m.
Ron Do the majority of UM students live in on campus in dorms or off-campus in houses/apartments? It seems to me if they live on campus, they can take the UM blue buses and if they live off-campus, they have to take AATA buses. And if they live off-campus, they pay property taxes as a part of their rent.
Andy Piper
Tue, Oct 23, 2012 : 12:05 p.m.
Good news! Still only just a beginning. While you are out driving, take a look around. How many buses do you see? almost none. As our downtown becomes more dense it will be more critical that you can get downtown and back on a bus in a time effective manner. Continue to increase the frequency of bus runs. Improve the bus stops - add more shelters. Add a downtown circulator that takes people to State Street, South U, Kerrytown from the station. Come on now, lets be a real city with transportation options.
jns131
Tue, Oct 23, 2012 : 5:29 p.m.
With the cost of parking in downtown Ann Arbor it is cheaper for people like us who want to go downtown Ann Arbor to use a bus. Faster and cheaper too.
A2comments
Tue, Oct 23, 2012 : 10:20 a.m.
How much of the increase is due to AAPS students that take AATA now that their school bus is gone?
jns131
Tue, Oct 23, 2012 : 5:33 p.m.
Good question. I really don't think so by much. Because last year our child said once Pioneer let out? The public buses were full. They could have taken a school bus. Might want to call AATA to see what they say and let us know.
annarboral
Tue, Oct 23, 2012 : 3:07 a.m.
And not one of those people paid the fair value of the service they received. Hey, if you want bus service then you should be willing to pay for it. However, these people get a heavily subsidiezed service paid for by peoplke (like me) taht do not use the bus.
Fordie
Tue, Oct 23, 2012 : 12:27 p.m.
And not one of those people paid the fair value of the service they received. Hey, if you want FIRE DEPARTMENT service then you should be willing to pay for it. However, these people get a heavily subsidiezed service paid for by peoplke (like me) taht do not use the FIRE DEPARTMENT. There are a lot of things I pay for that I don't use. Probably the road you live on. When are you going to pay me back for your ability to get home?
Ron Granger
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 11:33 p.m.
Students who live in dorms do not pay property taxes to support the AATA subsidies. Increased student ridership can also dramatically skew the ridership stats, even though students are typically not permanent residents. Ridership statistics for students would be interesting.
Ken
Tue, Oct 23, 2012 : 8:35 a.m.
What is your point? Last I reviewed the Road Commission's information ;AATA does not pay for road maintenance or taxes to fix the roads, yet they still drive over those same roads paying nothing to travel on them.
johnnya2
Tue, Oct 23, 2012 : 2:16 a.m.
yes, because UM is soon to go out of business and there will no longer be new students to replace those non-permanent residents? The UM pays AATA for those rides as well. My tax dollars also pay for roads I do not drive on. I guess roads that are traveled on less, should just be ignored and if somebody wants to fix them up, they can pay out of their own damn pocket.
Ron Granger
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 11:29 p.m.
Please correct the headline. It is 6.3 million RIDES. Not RIDERS. While it would be very useful to know the number of unique riders, this is not that.
johnnya2
Tue, Oct 23, 2012 : 2:20 a.m.
That is not the way things like this are tracked It would be like saying the UM did not have over 700k visitors to the Big House last year because some of them used it more than once. When traffic counts for street s are done they use number of cars, not number of UNIQUE cars. The only business that has an obsession with unique visitors is the interwebs. I know Meijer isnt saying, you know once you come the second time you are no longer a customer, you are still a CUSTOMER every single time you enter the store. When McDonalds talks about customer counts, the number includes those that might be there every day, OR even multiple times in a day.
David Cahill
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 10:53 p.m.
With a lengthy list of townships already opting out, what is left of the AATA's grandiose "countywide" plan? Basically Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. Why don't the plan's proponents simply pull a sheet over the corpse and tiptoe out into the sunlight?
RUKiddingMe
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 11:39 p.m.
Because once they get that millage passed and all those people are on the "board," nothing will make it go away. They can drive 500 empty buses all over the county day in, day out (and they WILL), and if the costs get too much, or even if they don't, they'll just increase the millage. I can't wait to hear about all the new stops, stations, depots, covered benches, signs, etc. that they'll "need."
DonBee
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 9:22 p.m.
I drove past an empty bus on I-94 again this morning. It is always empty when I pass it in the morning. I wonder how many riders it would take to break even for AATA - I mean without the 84% subsidy from the taxes and federal grants.
BobbyJohn
Tue, Oct 23, 2012 : 9:26 p.m.
The road is subsidizes for all, but so is the bus while car drivers pay for their car. Very different. Roads for all, but each person should pay their way.
YpsiYapper
Tue, Oct 23, 2012 : 2:44 a.m.
That bus you see on I-94 empty every morning is traveling to it's first stop from AATA headquaters.
johnnya2
Tue, Oct 23, 2012 : 2:13 a.m.
You mean on I94 where you paid how much to build maintain, and patrol? So YOU get a subsidized road while buses are bad? Give me a break Typical of people who are selfish and do not realize not everybody has a car or is ABLE to drive.
Brad
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 10:32 p.m.
@Don - I believe that would be somewhere in the vicinity of -4,000,000 rides. Give or take a few.
Woman in Ypsilanti
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 8:30 p.m.
I really hope this transit plan goes through. It is so much more convenient to take the bus most of the time.
Craig Lounsbury
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 8:27 p.m.
".... as the agency looks to build support for a 2013 tax proposal to take bus service countywide." I'll vote no on that, as will, I predict, a large chunk of the out-county citizens it would serve most. So if it passes it will pass due to Ann Arbor voters jamming something on the out-county people they don't want to pay for.
jcj
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 9:15 p.m.
Woman Ann Arbor is the exception! Here the minority are constantly cramming something down our throats! And it ain't candy.
Woman in Ypsilanti
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 8:33 p.m.
That is how democracy works. The majority always gets to jam something on the minority that they don't want.
uptodate
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 8:06 p.m.
Let's see...a bus route where people need one results in a 28% increase in ridership..... imagine that.
Jack Eaton
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 7:44 p.m.
"The agency's governing board earlier this month voted to incorporate a new countywide transit authority called the Washtenaw Ride as part of a five-year plan to expand service. Officials plan to seek a vote on a countywide transit tax to support the new entity, which would replace the AATA, in 2013." The Ann Arbor Chronicle and Local in Ann Arbor are both reporting that most of the communities in Washtenaw County have opted out of the "county-wide" transit authority: In a comment after the main article, Dave Askins lists the communities who have opted out: http://annarborchronicle.com/2012/10/21/aata-ridership-up-fiscal-reserves-down/#comment-131822 On the blog Local in Ann Arbor, they present a map showing which areas of the county are not participating: http://localannarbor.wordpress.com/2012/10/21/washtenaw-county-transit-more-outs-than-ins/ Apparently. AATA has spent years and a lot of money pursuing an expanded transit authority without finding out whether anyone else was interested in participating in the plan. Next up? They will spent countless dollars planning commuter rail from communities who have no interest in sharing the cost of the service.
Brad
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 7:54 p.m.
Write in Jack Eaton in the 4th ward! It's the only answer!!
mr_annarbor
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 7:44 p.m.
Do these ridership figures include trips taken by U-M students? If so, these riders should be eliminated from the total. Also, it's not increases in ridership that's important, but things like cost per rider. You'd have a helluva big increase in ridership if you didn't charge anything.
kenUM
Wed, Oct 24, 2012 : 1:33 a.m.
U-M pays $1.00 per ride, regardless of length of trip.
BobbyJohn
Tue, Oct 23, 2012 : 9:23 p.m.
U-M pays a lump fee that is way, way less than even 75 cents per ride.
Ken
Tue, Oct 23, 2012 : 8:28 a.m.
OK Johnnya2, my point is this; if U-M did not pay the fare for the 51%, how many would actually ride if they (the 51%) had to pay the fare themselves as opposed to driving themselves to get to U-M? Certainly this is money that AATA can claim, as they should.
johnnya2
Tue, Oct 23, 2012 : 2:09 a.m.
Why would it matter if UM, the VA or ANY other business or organization PAID for the service? That is like saying to Pizza House restaurant, sorry you can not include any catering money you earned from UM because THEY paid for it, not the end user. The cost per rider is not the number to look at, it is cost per user mile traveled. The cost to run a care that gets 30 MPG is currently around 11-12 cents per mile. The current IRS figure for miles on a car is 55 cents a mile. Bus service is a BARGAIN at $1.50. it is a bargain at $2.00 For the record, the cost of that road you drive on is NOT paid for and is subsidized as well. i guess we can afford to make roads better, but not to allow people who choose or can not afford a car to get around?
Ken
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 8:50 p.m.
Well AATA stated that 51% of the ridership is centered around U-M Students, Faculty and Staff. U-M PAYS for those rides, what would the ridership records reflect if those people had to pay a cash fare? Just wondering.........
Woman in Ypsilanti
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 8:29 p.m.
I don't understand why trips taken by UM students shouldn't count. They are people just like everyone else on the bus.
Ignatz
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 7:43 p.m.
Suspicions abound concerning the evil AATA. Imagine wanting to provide citizens with effective mass transit. Do they think we're those high falootin' New Yorkers?
Ignatz
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 8:15 p.m.
It'd be money well spent, Brad.
Brad
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 7:53 p.m.
I'd like to provide them all with a pony, too. But there is that small matter of money.
B2Pilot
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 7:13 p.m.
"AATA and leaders throughout Washtenaw County are responding to this record demand for transit by developing comprehensive plans to introduce countywide transportation service in 2013," AATA CEO Michael Ford said - Another self serving prophecy to get their millage money passed. Is there an independent study to verify this? one not paid for by AATA?? I see lots of their bus's speeding around downtown most if not completely empty.
catbehindthecouch
Tue, Oct 23, 2012 : 3:33 p.m.
My west side bus is nearly if not completely full around 8:30 am and 5 pm.
B2Pilot
Tue, Oct 23, 2012 : 3:42 a.m.
PB- when you begin paying for this perhaps you will pay attention to where your money is going also
pb
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 10:31 p.m.
@jcj, Glad you are around to scope out all the buses.
jcj
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 9:12 p.m.
Buses on the West side are not full!
Woman in Ypsilanti
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 8:28 p.m.
Trust me, the buses I ride are so full that it is standing room only. Downtown is either the very beginning or the very end of most AATA routes so they are more likely to be empty then.
packman
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 6:07 p.m.
Very timely news...sort of reminds you of the alleged recent drop in the unemployment rate.
Carl
Tue, Oct 23, 2012 : 5:04 p.m.
Ming Turns out you are way off. Total annual expenses were $28.9 million. The subsidy is $23.3 million after subtracting out rider fares of $5.6 million. This is about $3.68 per rider. "Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to their own facts."
Ming Bucibei
Tue, Oct 23, 2012 : 2:27 p.m.
last time i looked the subsidy was ~$14 per rider (figures several years old) & i doubt that it has changed much Ming Bucibei
Mumbambu, Esq.
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 7:24 p.m.
Yea, timely news with the end of the fiscal year and all.
Brad
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 6:43 p.m.
Why? Did Jack Welch say something stupid about AATA as well?