MTS, NCTD Ridership Up 7% On Free Ride Day

SAN DIEGO — The Metropolitan Transit System and North County Transit District announced Monday that public transit use during this year's Free Ride Day increased by roughly 7% over last year.

MTS ridership jumped 6.7% -- from 366,896 trips last year to 391,359 trips during this year's Free Ride Day on Oct. 2. NCTD ridership increased by 7.4%, from 44,227 Coaster, Sprinter, Breeze and Flex trips last year to 47,504 this year. The two agencies also combined for 103,046 more transit trips during this year's event than a normal weekday in October.

"The end goal for all of these activities is to show that our region has a viable alternative to the car," MTS Board Chair Nathan Fletcher said. "We don't want people to totally give up their cars, but if people can take transit just one or two days a week, our region will take significant strides toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and relieving traffic congestion."

The two agencies credited region-wide support for the event from local jurisdictions, universities and the U.S. Navy as a contributing factor to the event's increased participation. The ride-booking service Lyft and the dockless scooter company Bird also offered discounts for residents to travel to and from their nearest transit station.

"We're encouraged by the outpouring of support for this event, and we look forward to continuing to grow the relationship with these new riders," NCTD Board Chair Tony Kranz said. "The public did the first part by showing up. It's our job now to keep them coming back and riding the buses and trains as a part of their daily commute."

– City News Service