April record month for bus ridership
By Jason Jacks
While soaring gas prices might be emptying wallets, they are helping to fill up local buses, as the Loudoun County commuter bus system saw record ridership last month.
“Ridership has definitely spiked,” said Nancy Gourley, chief of Loudoun's Transit and Commuter Services. “The price of fuel is inspiring more people to take the bus.”
At just above 72,000 riders, April, according to Gourley, was the busiest month ever for the 16-year-old system, which takes commuters from Loudoun to Washington, D.C., Arlington County and the West Falls Church Metro station.
Moreover, in the first four months of this year, the 35-bus fleet saw a 23-percent increase in ridership from the same span in 2007. According to officials, ridership is projected to reach 750,000 a year by 2009, up from 652,347 in 2007.
To help counter the recent influx in riders, at least, this month the county added two more buses to its fleet at a cost of $480,000 each.
“The bus has been more crowded,” said Lansdowne's Matt Suarez, 28, who rides the bus from the Dulles North Transit Center near Route 606 to his government job in Washington. “Sometimes it's standing room only; at least it was before they added more buses.”
Realizing the surge in popularity in public transportation, county officials are currently in the middle of a large study of Loudoun's transit network. Results will form the Loudoun County Transit Plan, which will act as a planning guide as Loudoun expands its public transportation system during the next decade.
In terms of more recent expansion plans, already in the works is a new park-and-ride lot south of Leesburg near Philip A. Bolen Park. Western Loudoun and Ashburn are also being eyed for future lots, while a new express bus route from Leesburg and Ashburn to Tysons Corner is being planned.
“I'm not surprised at all,” said Supervisor Andrea McGimsey (D-Potomac), on the spike in bus riders. “Gas prices have gone through the roof.”
Pain at the pump aside, she also thinks worsening traffic and word of mouth about the buses are also getting more people out of their cars.
“Word is getting out about the system,” she said. “You're not driving in traffic, and you get to sit and read while you head to work.”
Contact the reporter at jjacks@timespapers.com