BLUEFIELD —
More riders took advantage of the Bluefield Area Transit in fiscal year 2011-12, than ever before, crossing the 200,000-rider mark for the first time in BAT’s 20-year history.
Patrick McKinney, BAT director, said that the system had a total of 210,811 transports during the fiscal year-ending June 30. “This is up from 176,563 riders in fiscal year 2010-’11, and surpasses the previous record of 196,201 riders that we had in fiscal year 2008-’09,” McKinney said.
McKinney speculated that the persistent high cost of gasoline contributed to the increase in ridership. He said that while the cost of gasoline has dropped somewhat, many people discovered the benefits of public transportation during the most-recent spike in gas prices and stayed with the bus.
“Our fuel costs for the 2012 fiscal year were up about $12,000 over budget, but we actually had a $14,000 increase in fares, so that off-set the additional expense,” McKinney said. “We get calls every day from people who are unfamiliar with the system who want information about schedules and routes.”
According to McKinney, the greatest increase in ridership has been on the U.S. Route 52 route in McDowell County. “It used to be that our Bluefield to Princeton route had the most riders, but that has changed,” he said. “People use the BAT buses to go shopping and to doctor visits, but for several of our elderly riders, it’s a social venue as well — a way to get out of the house and visit with people.”
While McKinney said that 65 percent of the riders on the system are elderly, he added that “many riders in the younger generation are deciding that they would just as soon ride the bus as they would drive a car,” he said.
“We also transport more wheelchair-bound and handicapped riders than any other public transit system in the state.”
The city of Bluefield took over operation of the former county-run Gateway Regional bus system in 1992.
The city re-named the system Bluefield Transit, but changed the name to BAT in 1998 when it expanded its routes to include Princeton and Athens in the system.
The public transit system actually dates back to about 1911, with Tri-City Traction, a company that operated trolley cars from Bluefield, Va., through Bluefield and added Princeton.
The West Virginia Public Transit System and the state Division of Public Transit plan to initiate a statewide marketing campaign in August to attract more riders to public transit systems throughout the state.
— Contact Bill Archer at barcher@bdtonline.com
Local News
July 27, 2012
Bluefield Area Transit sets new ridership record
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