Gas prices drive Triangle Transit ridership to new high

Research Triangle Park, N.C. — Triangle Transit reported Monday that its monthly ridership hit an all-time high in June, with 97,712 people climbing into buses and shuttles.

The figure was 30.2 percent above ridership in June 2007, transit officials said.

June was the third straight month of ridership increases, Triangle Transit said in a statement.

The system's GoTriangle information center also hit a new high, drawing 28,842 calls for information about all transit systems in the area.

“With the current cost of fuel, we are seeing that people want more choices, like the new service introduced today in Wake Forest. We believe ridership will continue to be strong as we work with other Triangle communities on partnerships to roll out future transit service and enhance our current routes,” transit Chairman Sig Hutchinson said.