Metro Transit is touting a big jump in the number of riders who took the bus or train to the State Fair

The tally is in, and Metro Transit is touting a big jump in the number of riders who took the bus or train to the State Fair this year.

The agency saw a 14 percent bump in ridership with nearly 331,000 rides taken. That's largely due to hiring more drivers over the past year, which made more buses available.

And it may have something to do with the fact that ridership in general is up thanks to decreasing crime on public transit, says Metro Transit COO Brian Funk.

"The general manager and I were out for about six listening sessions that overlapped the State Fair timeframe, and it was a consistent theme we heard as well, is that people are noticing a difference," Funk said. "They're eager to use our service more often and refer others to give it a try if they have not ridden recently. So we're really happy about that progress."

Metro Transit says crime was down more than 17 percent in the second quarter of 2024 compared to the same period last year.

The agency says a recent hiring boost also helped them increase trips.

"We do have, you know, literally well over 100 more bus drivers this year than last year when we were sort of in a predicament, where we were still struggling with some of our hiring initiatives," Funk explained.

He says they were able to run approximately 100 extra buses every day of the Fair.