Transit ridership up as fuel prices skyrocket
By Trevor Busch - Lethbridge Herald on March 25, 2022.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDtbusch@lethbridgeherald.com
War and inflation haven’t had a positive impact on fuel prices, and consumers are feeling the pain every time they roll up to the pumps.
But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a silver lining. With the rise of fuel prices in the past month, Lethbridge Transit has seen a direct and correlating increase in the number of riders in the same time period.
“We know the impact of fuel on people’s budgets is substantial, but one of the things that we’ve been seeing – really since the sharp increase in fuel prices in mid-to-late February – was a 26 per cent increase in ridership across our system,” said Tim Sanderson, general manager of Lethbridge Transit while speaking to media on Thursday. “It’s a substantial increase, and also building on the increases that we’ve already seen from the cityLINK transition, which was a 31 per cent increase over the previous system.”
Sanderson wants the public to be aware that if high fuel prices are leaving a big gap in your monthly budget, Lethbridge Transit provides an option that can help you save.
“It’s something that we’re really excited about, that we can offer this service, and the transportation products to the people of Lethbridge during high gas prices. We’d just like to get the message out to encourage other people to give Lethbridge Transit a try. It’s really a message out to the public that we are here, and we’re a great alternative to combatting high fuel prices.”
The current fares for Lethbridge Transit are $3 per ride or $77 for a monthly pass. Information on using transit, including an interactive trip planner, is available at lethbridgetransit.ca.
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