The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority, also known as TheRide, says ridership remains low during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ridership has increased by less than 10% since TheRide extended its bus service hours and added weekend service in some areas of Washtenaw County on August 30th. Before the pandemic, TheRide served about 100,000 riders a week, currently, that number has dropped to between 20,000 and 25,000 a week. Bryan Smith is the deputy CEO of operations.
Bryan Smith: It seems like a lot of people are still staying home, a lot of folks can work from home and the commuting that we had seen in the past, we’re not seeing come back as strongly right away.
TheRide is currently operating at about 62% of its regular service but hopes to restore services later this year if ridership increases.
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— Jorge Avellan is a reporter for 89.1 WEMU News. Contact him at 734.487.3363 or email him javellan@emich.edu
