MBTA ridership hits new record, toping 400 million rides in 2012

By Melissa M. Werthmann, Globe Correspondent

Ridership topped 400 million rides in the 2012 fiscal year for the first time in the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority’s history.

The announcement comes in the wake of MBTA fare hikes that took place July 1.

Average weekday ridership grew by 5.7 percent and averaged more than 1.3 million passenger trips per weekday for the the entire fiscal year, MBTA spokesman Joseph Pesaturo said in a statement.

Ridership on all MBTA modes increased: Buses by 5.9 percent, subway lines by 5.2 percent, and trolleys by 8 percent, Pesaturo said.

He said that the total annual ridership — single one-way trips — for the 2012 fiscal year was 400,185,000.

Average weekday ridership for June was 1.5 percent greater than during June of last year, marking the 17th consecutive month of ridership growth, Pesaturo said.

MBTA general manager Jonathan Davis attributed the figures to “the state’s continued economic growth, lower unemployment rates, the availability of real-time information for bus and train customers, and an overall improvement in MBTA service reliability.”