GRAND RAPIDS, February 7, 2011 – The Rapid provided over 29,000 rides on Wednesday, February 2, during a winter storm that dumped 16” of snow on the Grand Rapids metro area. Even with area schools, colleges, universities, and many businesses closed because of the storm, those who need to get to work and medical services had an option. Buses started running at 6:00 a.m., about an hour later than usual due to the extreme conditions.

“We had people calling in that are not regular bus riders, but who work in area hospitals, or have other essential job duties. They were looking for a way to get where they needed to go, and we were there,” according to Peter Varga, CEO of The Rapid. “We saw a significant spike in web traffic and calls to our Information Center last Wednesday as people were looking for options.”

Usual weekday ridership averages about 40,000. “Without the high school and college student ridership segment, the numbers from Wednesday are even more impressive,” commented Varga. According to the most recent ridership survey, 75% of people riding use the bus to get to work. Both September and October saw ridership topping 1,000,000 each month. Year to date figures for fiscal year 2011 show ridership in all categories is up. If this trend continues, The Rapid will provide more than 10 million rides this year.

About The Rapid

The Interurban Transit Partnership, more commonly known as The Rapid, serves East Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids, Grandville, Kentwood, Walker, Wyoming and portions of Alpine, Byron, Cascade and Gaines Townships. Last year, The Rapid provided over 9.7 million rides, an all-time high in public transportation trips in the greater Grand Rapids metro area. Website: www.ridetherapid.org