Ridership numbers have been compiled for 2015 and reveal a second-straight, record-setting year for usage of the regional public transit system.
Building off of 2014’s record numbers and the continued support of regional municipalities, both large and small, Ozark Regional Transit (ORT) additionally partnered with a local school system and even private enterprise to create additional routes in Rogers and Springdale.
“Changes in the system instigated in 2014 set the foundation for growth, and we’ve seen that come to fruition again this year,” explained Joel Gardner, executive director of ORT. “We’re again poised for great things in Northwest Arkansas with even more exciting things on the horizon.”
ORT reported fixed route, charters, para-transit and demand-response cumulative ridership as being 332,452 for 2015; a 5 percent increase in fixed route ridership over 2014’s record year, and a 6 percent increase in paratransit/demand-response ridership of 2014’s double-digit increase.
