Stephen Curran

Tue, Sep 20, 2005 (11:07 a.m.)

For Bonnie Rogers, the sign outside a Chevron station barely a mile away from the South Strip bus terminal advertising gasoline for $3.09 a gallon might as well have been in another state.

In fact, Rogers said, he hasn't closely watched gas prices since the last time he was behind the wheel -- four years ago. Instead, he stood early Monday afternoon outside the bus terminal waiting to catch the bus that every day takes him to work in downtown Las Vegas.

"If gas (prices) keep going up it makes no sense" to have a car, Rogers said. "The bus is all there is. Otherwise it's riding a bike."

Whether more people are making a conscious decision to trade car keys for a bus pass or because the bus is the only option for more people to get around the valley, ridership numbers for Regional Transportation Commission buses indicate that more people are using the mass transit system.

Last month almost 4.8 million people boarded the RTC's Citizens Area Transit buses, a systemwide record, RTC spokeswoman Sue Christiansen said Monday.

Exactly what is behind the almost 10 percent increase from August last year is unclear. The RTC has not formally polled passengers as to why they ride the bus. Gasoline prices, however, are a likely factor in the ridership jump, Christiansen said.

"We would assume that would have some effect on it," Christiansen said." There might be other factors."

The RTC budgeted roughly $9.8 million of its $160 million budget for fuel in 2006, compared with $8 million budgeted for this year. Bracing for a spike in fuel prices, the RTC in May opted to "hedge" its gasoline purchases for the coming year. Doing so meant the agency locked in a specific per-gallon price it anticipated would be lower than the fluctuating going rate.

Meanwhile the CAT system's growth rate has outpaced the county rate, which has averaged between 5 and 6 percent each year from 2000 to 2004, figures from the Nevada State Demographer's office show. Between July 2003 and July 2004, the most recent year for which statistics were available, Clark County grew 5.8 percent, state numbers show.

The RTC's most recent far-reaching addition, its MAX bus line, was introduced in June 2004 and the agency has not added to its 53 routes since then, Christiansen said.

In that time, Nevada -- like the rest of the country -- has seen a dramatic increase in gas prices, averaging more than $2.90 statewide, according to AAA.

For James Murawski, who rode the bus more than 30 miles on Monday while his car was being repaired, it was enough for him to rethink his daily routine.

"I'll probably be driving less," he said. "I'll find grocery stores and places that are closer ... I think it's ridiculous. It's hard on people to pay that kind of money."

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