Bus ridership in Cape Girardeau has increased by almost 100% since last year, Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority officials reported.

"In July of 2022, our total monthly ridership was 819. It slowly increased every month and, by May, it was up to 1,595. It seemed to level off around there for now," said Susan Redford, operations manager at CGCTA.

This seems to be the highest number in the past few years. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the numbers had been low for quite some time, Redford said.

Redford attributed the rise in passenger numbers to recent staffing adjustments and their heightened emphasis on timeliness.

CGCTA officials anticipate bus ridership to go even higher in the future.

"We love seeing our community take advantage of the city bus. Right now, this service is absolutely free to everyone. We are always looking for suggestions on where we need stops that may better serve people who need it most. We will continue to evaluate our routes and make them more convenient," Redford said. "We have a lot of growing to do before any changes would need to be made to offset an increase in ridership. For now, we are focused on making the service better for our riders."

While there also has been a noticeable increase in the overall passenger levels (bus routes, cab services and the Ride to Work program combined) compared to last fiscal year, they have not returned to pre-pandemic figures. Ridership stood at nearly 200,000 trips annually, but this number declined approximately 25% to 140,000 to 150,000 in the fiscal year that ended June 30.

Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority currently operates two bus lines in the city of Cape Girardeau: Blue/North line and South/Red line. Each bus stops at 52 locations throughout the city. Both buses operate from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and make their rounds once per hour. The buses hold up to nine ambulatory passengers, plus one wheelchair.

For more information on bus routes, stops, schedules and a transit map, visit www.cgcta.com/buses.