Fourth Quarter 2005 - October 1 - December 31
For the fourth quarter of 2005, total passenger boardings for all modes were up by 8.3 percent compared with the same quarter in 2004. The largest increase was on Sounder commuter rail service, which was up by 50.1 percent. ST Express bus ridership increased by 4.5 percent overall. Tacoma Link saw a decline of 5.6 percent compared to the same period last year.
The 2005 systemwide ridership projection established in the 2005 Service Implementation Plan was 10.4 million boardings. Actual 2005 systemwide ridership was 10.97 million, representing an increase of 5.5 percent over that estimate and an increase of more than 8.1 percent compared to 2004 boardings.
Several factors influenced system ridership during 2005. In June, a second round trip was added on the Sounder North Line between Seattle and Everett, helping to achieve a 125.6 percent increase in the fourth quarter North Line commuter ridership compared with the same period in 2004. An additional train on the Sounder South Line between Seattle and Tacoma was added in September, yielding an increase of 41.5 percent for Sounder commuter service for the quarter. During the fourth quarter, ridership growth was also fueled by Seahawk event service. Starting in August, higher gasoline prices helped to increase ridership on both Sounder lines and on select ST Express bus routes. The effect of increased gas prices on the bus network was somewhat muted by an average 20 percent fare increase that took effect June 1. Additionally, increases in service levels were relatively modest compared to previous years.
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