Ridership tops 1.74 million passengers for the past 12 months
Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority (CCJPA) has announced that March 2019 marked an 18-month streak of consecutive year-over-year ridership growth. “We received the March 2019 ridership figures,” said Capitol Corridor Board Chair Rebecca Saltzman, “and these results indicate a cumulative growth of 7.2% over the last year and half.”
For March 2019 alone, Capitol Corridor ridership was up 5% vs. March 2018, and revenue was up 5.4% over the same period. “For our fiscal year to date since October 2018, ridership growth continues at 5% above last year,” said CCJPA Managing Director, David Kutrosky. “As well, we’ve achieved record results in revenue growth at 5.6% and the revenue-to-cost ratio is 62%. Customer satisfaction is at a near-historic high of 91% year-to-date.” Kutrosky added.
Capitol Corridor officials attribute the growth in ridership to elevated San Francisco Bay Area housing costs, with many riders continuing to seek more affordable housing in areas such as Sacramento. In a May 2018 survey, results showed that nearly half of Capitol Corridor riders (43%) have been riding the service for one year or less. “Eighteen months of consecutive ridership growth demonstrates that the service is vital to the Sacramento-San Francisco Bay Area region. Looking at Capitol Corridor’s top 10 city pairs, we can see that cross-regional travel within the Northern California Megaregion represents 51% of our ridership in the past 12 months. We are excited to welcome so many new riders to our service and pleased that we can provide a transportation solution that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and congestion,” said CCJPA Board Chair Rebecca Saltzman.
