For Immediate Release: Friday, July 29, 2005
Ride On set an all-time record in fiscal year 2005, providing service to 25.1 million passengers. This represents an 8.3 percent increase in ridership from 2004’s ridership of 23.2 million passengers, and a 43 percent increase since 1995. The County is on target to meet the goal set in 2000 of doubling ridership by 2020.
Ride On’s record ridership this year is due to the addition of substantial new services in fiscal year 2005. * In August, Ride On introduced the U-Pass Program that gives Montgomery College students unlimited use of the Ride On bus system. The program reduces the demand for on-campus parking, reduces pollution, and increases transit use. * In September, Ride On added 15 new compressed natural gas (CNG), low-floor buses that completed the fleet’s transition to total accessibility, either by ramp or lift, for passengers with disabilities. The new buses also improved schedule reliability on seven routes, enhanced frequency on four routes, and provided service to two new transit centers. * In January, additional service expansions included new weekend service on four routes that formerly had only weekday service and added more bus trips at the beginning or end of the service day to 20 other routes. * In May, new and restructured routes in Germantown far exceeded expectations in attracting new riders and providing more efficient service. Germantown ridership increased by 15 percent during the first month of service. Ride On expanded service in Germantown to accommodate this growing community’s need for better transit access between its residential, retail, and commercial areas. For more information about Ride On, go to the County’s website at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/rideon. Or, call the Transit Information Center at 240-777-7433 (RIDE). Release ID: 05-073