SAN DIEGO - More people are riding the bus and trolley again, but the system is still struggling to keep ridership up.
More than 6.5 Million trips were taken on the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System during the month of October, the highest monthly rate since the start of the pandemic. It's a far cry from the 9.2 Million rides MTS reported in October of 2014, when public transit ridership was at its peak in San Diego and across the nation. But MTS says the UC San Diego Blue Line Trolley Extension has attracted more riders in recent months.
Federal funding has kept many public transit operators afloat since the pandemic. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports MTS received about $360 million in federal stimulus funding, meaning the system may be able to avoid major service cuts for at least the next three years.
The decrease in public transit ridership is due to a rise in car ownership, especially among low-income families.