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Streetcar ridership was expected to drop once Detroit's new line began charging fares after Labor Day.
The only question was: How much?
M-1 RAIL, which operates the system, tells Eric. D. Lawrence of the Detroit Free Press that ridership has dropped about 40 percent since fares were implemented. Streetcars were free from May 12 until Sept. 5.
It's unclear what percentage of the drop is attributable to the fact Labor Day marks the end of summer and a big vacation period, and the start of the school year for many students. A lot of families with children came downtown and rode the trains in the summer months.
"We fully expected ridership to dip a little bit when we made this transition,” spokesman Dan Lijana says. "But we are very confident . . . we'll see an uptick" as the Woodward corridor gains residents and as Little Caesars Arena nhosts more events.
