-- Julianna Parker Jones
Cleveland Area Rapid Transit transported a record number of passengers Thursday in the public transportation system's Dump the Pump initiative.
CART increased its average daily ridership by 88 percent, transporting 2,333 passengers and eclipsing the 2,239 mark from Dump the Pump 2008, CART spokesperson Kris Glenn said in an e-mail.
The Main Street and Alameda/East Norman routes accounted for almost half of the total riders, experiencing increases of 181 percent and 191 percent, respectively, Glenn said.
The Sooner Express increased its ridership by 157 percent. The commuter route to Oklahoma City broke the 200-passenger barrier for the first time, transporting 208 riders.
"The Dump the Pump 2009 percentage increase may not have been the 100 percent it was last year, but that is attributable to a 14 percent year-to-date influx of passengers now utilizing CART," Glenn said.
