Gas prices fuel increase in public transit use

High gasoline prices are turning some drivers into riders, say public transit authorities in several states. It’s a trend that Joe Calabrese, general manager of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, expects to continue as long as a gallon of gas remains about $2. It’s the same story for the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, which operates 72 miles of rail lines between Miami and West Palm Beach, mostly serving business comuters and students. While declining unemployment has increased the use of public transportation in Denver, the Denver Regional Transportation District is confident that gas prices have influenced the recent uptick, also more passengers have been using its bus and rail lines for the past year with 5 percent increases in December, January and February, spokesman Scott Reed said.