PORT ANGELES – Wallet-draining gas prices have Clallam and Jefferson county bus ridership on a roll.
At Clallam Transit System, year-to-date ridership is up 17.4 percent — including 22 percent for May.
Overall ridership through May is up 15.7 percent for Jefferson Transit, compared to the same period last year. That’s 17,701 riders more, totaling 130,456.
“People who don’t have the disposable income to buy fuel are the ones who use our service,” Jefferson Transit General Manager Dave Turissini, told the Transit board last week.
“I encourage people to ride the bus. We’ve already paid your fuel bill for you,” said Turissini.
He said that an all-day bus pass is $1.25 and a monthly pass costs $20.
Clallam Transit Operations Manager Frank Poulsen said the system hasn’t surveyed its riders, “but the speculation is that it’s due to the gas, the fuel costs.”
Nothing else could account for the rise, Poulsen said — no large new employer, school or housing complex.
Especially expensive for an automobile driver are the everyday trips around town, stop-and-go errands in which fuel economy is at its worst.
“Those little short-term hops are just hard on vehicles,” Poulsen said.
Clallam Transit’s Poulsen said every month in 2006 has shown a gain over the previous year. Ridership was up 25 percent in January, 27 percent in February, 17 percent in March and 7 percent in April.
“It doesn’t look like it’s slowing down,” he said.
