Turnpike use down sharply in August;

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

Drivers, struggling with high gas prices, are staying away from the Massachusetts Turnpike this summer, new data suggests.

The number of transactions on the Pike declined by about 1.2 million in August, compared with the same month a year ago. The decline, 6.75 percent, was the sharpest monthly drop since gas prices began rising late last year.

The decrease on the turnpike coincides with record increases in mass transit use. The MBTA experienced a 6.9 percent increase in average weekday ridership in July, the most recent month for which figures are available.

Because the authority increased the cost of tolls on Jan. 1, it collected 4.7 percent more money in the month of August than it did the year before.

Most of the decrease in turnpike use came from people who paid using cash, instead of using the electronic Fast Lane. Fast Lane users tend to be regular commuters while cash-paying customers are more likely to be occasional users.

In all, the turnpike collected 16.7 million individual tolls last month.

Readers, are you driving less, taking public transportation more? Or not? Let us know in the Comments section of this article.