More than 1 million rides were taken on the METRO Green Line in September, the highest monthly ridership since service began in June.
The 1,063,512 rides taken on the Green Line last month brings year-to-date ridership to 3,477,945. Average weekday ridership in September was 37,178, which is 35 percent higher than the ridership projection for 2015. Projected average weekday ridership for 2030 is nearly 41,000.
“We are thrilled the community is embracing the Green Line for all types of travel,” Metro Transit General Manager Brian Lamb said. “The excitement surrounding the Green Line has obviously lasted well beyond opening weekend and will continue to build as the corridor develops in the years ahead.”
Ridership in the University Avenue corridor has almost doubled since last year. In September 2013, there were 653,208 rides on bus routes 16, 94 and 50, the limited-stop service that has been replaced by the Green Line. The Green Line and routes 16 and 94 had a combined ridership of 1,185,217 last month.
Service is also being delivered more efficiently. There were 519 bus trips each weekday on routes 16, 50 and 94 last year. There are now 228 Green Line trips and 220 trips on routes 16 and 94, each weekday.
Ridership has been strong in both downtown St. Paul and Minneapolis, as well as the University Avenue corridor. Stations that serve the University of Minnesota area have been especially active since the beginning of the fall semester.
The East Bank Station was the Green Line’s most active stop in September, drawing 4,655 average weekday boardings. U of M students have purchased 18,061 U-Passes this semester, surpassing sales from the entire fall 2013 semester. U-Passes are sold for a flat per-semester fee and provide unlimited bus and METRO rides.
Special events have also drawn high ridership. Around 12,700 fans took the Green Line to the Minnesota Vikings’ two home games at TCF Bank Stadium in September, representing around a quarter of announced attendance.
Year-to-date ridership on all modes is 62.75 million, up 2.8 percent from the same period last year. Customers boarded Metro Transit buses and trains nearly 81.4 million times in 2013.
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Contact: Drew Kerr, Public Relations Specialist, 612-349-7758, drew.kerr@metrotransit.org