Transit sees investment, ridership increase

Transit in North Carolina is seeing more riders and greater investment.

Ray LaHood, U.S. secretary of transportation, announced an investment Wednesday of $25 million in federal stimulus funds to be used to upgrade transit vehicles and facilities across the state.

The windfall comes as ridership on transit in the Triangle is at an all-time high. Triangle Transit served more than 1 million trips in the fiscal year that ended June 30, the organization said Wednesday.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has pumped more than $48 billion into highway, road, transit, bridge and airport construction and repairs nationwide since President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in February.

The latest installment will allow the North Carolina Department of Transportation to pay for 141 vehicles, including buses and vans, and for shelters and facility renovations throughout the state.

Triangle Transit released its annual ridership report Wednesday, showing an increase of 19.4 percent from fiscal 2007-08. General manager David King noted that high gas prices in the second half of 2008 pushed some riders to try transit.

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Latest Comments

I know buses are great, but they scare the heck outta me. I always think its about to roll over when they make a turn.

shortcake53
August 26, 2009 5:59 p.m.

Us Raleigh and Triangle residents will be overjoyed once the Metro Train gets here. It is long long over due.

manofjustice
August 26, 2009 5:46 p.m.

only when proper benches are put at stops

mjeffrey
August 26, 2009 5:39 p.m.

Will riders stop taking shopping carts from nearby stores to use as a bench now? These carts cost over $100 each and it annoys me to see them off the property of the store. Somehow people can push them to the bus stop, but cannot figure out how to push them back on a return visit.