Port Authority: Ridership Increased 23 Percent Last Month
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Port Authority says ridership numbers grew 23 percent last month.
The Port Authority said it is the largest one-month increase since the coronavirus pandemic began, but the ridership last month is still far from the numbers officials are used to having.
From the bus to the T to the inclines, the Port Authority averaged around 220,000-weekday riders. That number was cut drastically when the pandemic hit. However, things are finally starting to look up.
From August to September, Port Authority spokesperson Adam Brandolph said ridership increased nearly a quarter, and the public transit agency said it is getting back to 50 percent of where it once was.
Brandolph said there could be more than a few things driving people back to public transportation, including gas prices, which AAA says are up almost $1 more than this time last year.
"It's more of a sign people are coming back to work. They have more reason to go out, go shopping, come downtown and they're choosing public transit to do so," Brandolph said.
As for weekend ridership, Brandolph said those numbers are closer to being back to 100 percent of pre-pandemic levels. He said the Port Authority is hoping to add more capacity for riders.
