Higher gas prices boost public transit users

GREATER LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - The wheels on the bus go round and round, and for many Lafayette residents, it's this motion that keeps their lives moving. With higher gas prices comes a rise in interest for the use of public transportation.

A Ball State University study projects the number of public transportation users to significantly increase over the next decade.

In Lafayette, many residents rely on public transportation and City Bus is staying ahead of the expected growth.

We spoke to a few residents. Here are some of their comments about using public transportation:

"For me it's a necessity."

"It helps me get to my appointments. It gets from point A to point B."

"It's important for all of us that don't know how to drive." 

"You either have to walk or stay home, and I'm not going to be a house cat."

That Ball State University study projects the number of public transportation users to more than double over the next 20 years

The same study shows almost 70 percent of fixed-route bus riders are dependent on buses because they don't own a vehicle. Many say they can't afford one.

"I just don't have the money to get a car,” one resident said.

"Gas has gone up really high, and I just can't afford to drive anymore,” said another.

CityBus Development Manager Tonya Agnew and Purdue economist Wally Tyner say their data supports Ball State's findings: the higher the price per gallon of gas, the greater the number of people getting on the bus.

"The gas prices in 2011 were at the highest they had been since 2008,” Agnew said. “2011 was a 7.7 percent increase and that was our record year."

"People tend to go with tipping points,” Tyner said. “And $4 is one that does tend to get more people using (public) transport."

With the dependency of public transportation expected to increase dramatically over the next couple of decades, CityBus is taking steps to make sure it’s ahead of the game.

"Looking at the locations of the routes, looking at possibly adding additional buses, that all trickles down to also needing more drivers,” Agnew said. “That would be a plus also for our community."

"We just finished a study with CityBus with the possibility of converting their fleet to natural gas,” Tyner added. “We have the potential as gas and diesel prices go up, up and up to see the cost of transit stay relatively flat and more and more people will opt for transit in that case."

Next week, News 18 will have more on CityBus' plans to switch its fleet to natural gas.