MBTA reports another month of increased ridership

By Colin A. Young, Globe Correspondent

For the 16th consecutive month, the MBTA saw a growth in ridership in May, continuing the longest streak of ridership gains in MBTA history, the agency reported today.

System-wide ridership for May 2012 was 2.9 percent higher than in May 2011, the T said. The transit system averaged more than 1.3 million trips each weekday for the fourth straight month, another first, officials said.

“This unprecedented ridership growth is a credit to all of the hard work we’ve done to deliver reliable, safe, and convenient service on a regular basis,” acting MBTA General Manager Jonathan Davis said in a statement. “I want to thank our customers for their loyalty, and assure them that the MBTA will continue its commitment to providing service of the highest quality.”

In May, Green Line ridership jumped 9.1 percent compared with the same period a year earlier and weekday bus ridership increased 3.3 percent, according to the agency’s report.

Earlier this month, the American Public Transportation Association announced that the MBTA saw one of the highest growth rates in ridership during the first quarter of the year among America’s public transit systems, contributing to a national 5 percent surge.

Also in June, the Globe reported that a study from the Urban Land Institute found that surging T ridership and booming construction around transit stations are poised to overwhelm the MBTA, potentially limiting future development and slowing the regional economy.

Starting Sunday, fares will rise system-wide an average of 23 percent. Fares on the T were last increased five years ago.