Why is this important?
Increased transit ridership helps reduce traffic congestion by taking motor vehicles off the road.  An efficient transit system can provide quicker access to jobs, reduce air pollution and help to improve the overall livability of our communities. 

How are we doing?
In 2010, ridership on the Long Island Rail Road declined by 1.7%, during the same period Long Island Bus ridership increased  1.5% and Suffolk County Transit increased by almost 1%.   The recovery from the 2008 recession was mixed throughout the region, over the last two years NJT commuter rail and bus services combined lost over 17 million annual commuters, Long Island’s commuter transit services – the LIRR, Long Island Bus and Suffolk County Transit - shed over 9 million annual commuters and Metro North lost 3.7 million riders.   As of 2010, none of the region’s commuter rail or bus services, except for Westchester County’s Bee Line bus, have returned to their pre-recession (2008) ridership levels.  The weak job market, coupled with higher fares and service cuts have contributed to this decline in ridership.  While Long Island bus appears to be recovering from the recession, Nassau County’s plan to replace the MTA with a private operator might result in service changes that could slow this growth.  While the continuing drop in ridership over the past two years does not yet constitute a trend, the fact that the LIRR’s ridership is still in decline is cause for concern.
 
Since 2000, ridership on the Long Island Rail Road has declined by 3.7% while Metro North and New Jersey Transit have grown by 13% and 17%, respectively. The Long Island Bus, which has experienced a 3.8% gain in ridership since 2000, has grown significantly more than the Long Island Railroad. Long Island’s Suffolk County Transit has grown by 42% over the same time period, a much more robust growth than other commuter bus systems in the region. This is due in part to population growth in Suffolk and in part to services that were added earlier in the decade.