TRANSIT RIDERSHIP
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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?
Far more Long Islanders take the train than the bus, but the number of bus riders is growing much more rapidly. In 2006, the number of Long Island Rail Road riders (including New York City stations) increased by less than 1%, while Long Island Bus and Suffolk County Transit riders increased by 3% and 9%, respectively. This continues the pattern of recent years. From 2000-2006, LIRR ridership declined by 6% while Long Island Bus increased by 8% and Suffolk Transit grew by 30%.
A number of factors are behind these trends. A slow economy between 2000 and 2003 affected both rail and bus, but had a larger impact on LIRR ridership, with commutation to Manhattan slowing in the wake of a decline on Wall Street and September 11. The ridership trends are also consistent with population trends. Much of the rapid growth in Suffolk County Transit is due to population increases in the county, while stagnant population growth in Nassau has impacted both LIRR and LI Bus, both of which have more riders from Nassau than Suffolk. Bus service expansions have also led to increased ridership.
These factors do not entirely explain the difference between LIRR and other commuter rail services in the region. The decline in Long Island Rail Road’s ridership since 2000 contrasts with the growth of 7% on Metro North and 17% on New Jersey Transit. Some of this is the result of faster population growth in their service areas. However, both Metro North and New Jersey Transit have added services, while LIRR has not. A third track on Metro North’s Harlem line, built in the 1990s, allowed it to take advantage of increased demand, particularly for reverse commutes. In New Jersey, Midtown Direct Service greatly reduced travel times to Manhattan and increased ridership from much of the state.
A further analysis of LIRR weekday ridership between 1998 and 2006 points to another factor. While the majority of the LIRR riders still commute to New York City, ridership from Nassau and Suffolk to New York City in the morning peak period has been flat since 1998. By contrast, the much smaller number of riders traveling in the reverse direction, presumably largely made up of New York City residents commuting to Nassau and Suffolk, has nearly doubled. Similarly, all other weekday trips, including people traveling between stations within Nassau and Suffolk and riders traveling during midday, have increased by 38%. This is similar to trends for both Metro North and New Jersey Transit, and reflects changes in jobs and development patterns within Long Island. With more jobs on Long Island, there is greater demand for reverse commutes and intra-Island travel.