[PRCo] San Diego increases

[Fred Schneider]

I hate to take this to the demented list but John has been putting  
the LA issue there.   Here is the San Diego newspaper story on their  
10% bus increase over the last year.  What this does not show is the  
caustic comment from a reader saying that I too can go to college for  
four years to be a transit executive and figure out that gas prices  
are behind this.     Professor Fred
UNION-TRIBUNE



July 26, 2008



SAN DIEGO: The high cost of gas seems to be sending county residents  
to public transportation in droves.

The Metropolitan Transit System on Thursday reported ridership  
records for June, and July is expected to be another record-setting  
month, especially with Comic-Con at the San Diego Convention Center  
through tomorrow, MTS spokeswoman Judith Leitner said.



In June, the trolley had 3.4 million riders, a 16 percent increase  
from May and a 17 percent increase from June 2007, Leitner said in a  
statement.

MTS buses had more than 4.2 million riders in June, a 9.6 percent  
increase over June 2007, Leitner said.

Some bus routes reported double-digit increases. Ridership on  
Interstate 15 commuter express buses from Escondido, Poway, Rancho  
Bernardo and Rancho Peñasquitos to downtown San Diego was up 15  
percent over June 2007, Leitner said, with increases as much as 23  
percent on some days.

Paul Jablonski, CEO of MTS, said the high cost of gas appears to be  
the major contributing factor. –S.S.