SLO Transit is experiencing much higher than usual ridership. While the close of the 2014/15 fiscal year showed ridership down by less than 4 percent from the prior fiscal year (2013/14), which was also a record setting year; the 2015-16 Fiscal year for SLO Transit is seeing a robust recovery and record breaking ridership numbers.
Month to date, ridership is up 8 percent from the same time last year. Oct. 5 alone saw a new record ridership with 7,744 transported on a single day, breaking the prior record set only a few days before. While a general ridership increase is welcomed, some overcrowding is being seen on Routes 4, 5 and 6 during peak periods. In efforts to address this overcrowding, SLO Transit staff is issuing more vehicles to affected routes in order to keep up with demand.
“Our daily ridership numbers are equivalent to transporting the entire population of a small town, which is significant, considering that we are a small town” states Transit Manager, Gamaliel Anguiano. “In efforts to meet this increased demand we will be scheduling most, if not all, of our available fleet, to help alleviate the stresses on the system” he adds. Ridership increase is being credited in part to a number of successful public outreach campaigns, introduction of new services such as the Tripper Bus, the continued trend of increased community support for alternative transportation and the closure of parking lots on the Cal Poly campus.
