Metro deputy general manager Jim Jacobson told the King County Council’s Regional Transportation Committee on Wednesday that the economy was having an effect on ridership. With so many people unemployed, fewer people are on the bus.
So we asked Metro spokeswoman Linda Thielke for the numbers, and indeed, bus ridership seems to be down about 5 percent from this time last year.

Here are the preliminary, average weekday boardings for each month on Metro’s scheduled motor bus and  trolley bus service.

           2006           2007            2008            2009    Change from 2008      
Jan      332,462         350,231         375,245         378,290        0.8%  
Feb      338,796         366,436         382,694         373,768        -2.3% 
Mar      326,920         353,694         377,670         374,215        -0.9% 
Apr      344,418         376,643         400,239         380,426        -5.0%

I’m wondering if bus riders are noticing more empty seats that used to be taken up by people heading to work.