As Gas Prices Rise, So Does Metro Ridership

Gas prices continue to climb in the DC-metro area and so does Metro ridership.

If you are a driver, hearing that gas prices are rising dramatically is no surprise. While accounting for inflation, the daily average cost of gas in D.C. was higher Monday than it has been in the past seven years. The cheapest gas in the capital was $4.09 a gallon but the most expensive cost around a dollar more, according to GasBuddy a web based company that tracks gas prices.
GasBuddy says filling your tank costs almost 46 cents more per gallon than it did a month ago.  The D.C.-area gas prices reflect the national increase in the cost of gasoline.  Those high gas prices may be helping Metros’s ridership.
As gas prices climbed across the D.C. region in early March, more people hopped on Metro trains and buses, according to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.  Transit officials say folks riding Metro-bus and rail more than doubled in March of 2022 compared to the same time last year. Metro-bus ridership is up near 60 percent. Rail travel jumped 124 percent compared to March of 2021.