Transportation experts have long pondered what it would take to get Americans to abandon their cars in favor of mass transit. The answer, it seems, is about $4 a gallon for gasoline, a cost which has sent Hudson Valley residents to their train stations and bus depots as they commute to work or journey to play. But bus and train folk say there is more to the ridership surge than high gas prices.
“A lot of people who wouldn”™t in the past have considered riding with us are now taking the bus,” said Anne Noonan, vice president of marketing for Adirondack Trailways, which serves the Hudson Valley. “Our ridership is up substantially. We are seeing strong gains in ridership.”
The increased use of buses is a long-term trend in the Hudson Valley. Since 1997, the number of Adirondack Trailways buses serving the Hudson Valley from New York City has doubled in the daily schedule of runs between Kingston and New York. Today the company runs a total of 20 round trips on weekdays. Additionally, the bus line has added stops in Rosendale and at the park and ride facility in New Paltz.
But lately, Noonan said, there has been a surge in riders. She said data is not yet available. “It”™s a little early to know first-quarter data, but just from being out in the terminal I can tell we are still seeing very strong increases.”
Noonan said bus fares have “absolutely” been impacted by fuel costs, noting that diesel fuel costs have risen even faster than standard fuel. Consequently, she said, the company implemented a fare increase in the first week of April. She said the 5 percent toll hike for the next two years recently announced by the Thruway Authority is inconsequential by comparison to gas costs.
Metro-North trains are also seeing a surge in ridership, even more pronounced than the long-term trends of increased usage occurring over the last 25 years.
“We have a ridership gain in the first four months of the year of 4.8 percent, which translates to about 1.2 million additional rides over the same period last year,” said Marjorie Anders, a spokeswoman for Metro-North. “And while our ridership has been typically growing about 2.5 percent, to have this increase of almost 5 percent, about double our normal rate of growth, leads us to believe, of course, the price of gas has something to do with it.”
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Neither buses nor trains have reached their capacity, though Anders admits the train system for the Hudson Valley is nearing capacity during peak hours of 6 to 10 a.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. weekdays, during rush hour. Anders noted “the peak of the peak,” a Metro-North train is arriving at Grand Central station every minute. “So there is not a lot of room on the tracks to add more trains.”
Metro-North can add more cars to each train, however, a strategy being implemented on the overcrowded New Haven line that could be adopted if other lines such as the Hudson line continue seeing increases, Anders said.
Noonan said Trailways added new service in September 2007 and has not yet reached capacity, although it is monitoring buses closely. She said the schedule could be revamped in seven to 10 days if needed.
And for both trains and buses, it isn”™t only gas prices that are attracting riders. Anders boasted: “Our reliability is phenomenal, with trains being on schedule 95 percent of the time.”
And Noonan added a twist to attract riders that is not traditionally associated with buses: “It”™s a very economical way to travel yes, and, what is becoming a big point in our industry it”™s a very efficient and every environmentally friendly way to travel. We are starting an advertising campaign around the theme, save money and save the environment at the same time.”
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