On May 4, 2011, the City of Harrisonburg celebrated a milestone in public transportation. For the first time, public transportation ridership in the city reached 2 million passengers. The system, which has 27 buses, has provided transportation services to residents of Harrisonburg since 1976.
Susan Ritchie, of Harrisonburg, was identified as the two millionth passenger while riding bus route three on Wednesday afternoon. Upon arrival at the Hardesty‐Higgins House transfer station she was presented with balloons and small gifts from the Harrisonburg Department of Public Transportation.
“This is exciting for a number of reasons,” said Reggie Smith, Director of Public Transportation. “From very humble beginnings with a few taxicabs and vans to a fleet of buses and over 2 million passengers in a year is a remarkable testament to growth and the city’s willingness to invest in alternative methods of transportation.”
In 2010, the city’s bus system carried just over 1.8 million passengers. Ridership on the city’s public transit system has been increasing by approximately 10% annually for the past five years. The number of annual passengers is calculated over the course of the fiscal year, beginning July 1 and ending June 30.
The numbers do not include riders of the city’s school bus system or paratransit.
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