January 11, 2024 - Bismarck, N.D. – Bis-Man Transit recorded an increase in ridership in 2023. Overall ridership increased 14% in 2023, with 188,287 passenger trips recorded. The fixed route Capital Area Transit (CAT) bus system provided 100,536 passenger trips. The direct route paratransit bus system provided 87,751 passenger trips.
In 2022, 165,026 overall passenger trips were recorded. Last year’s ridership numbers are 32% higher than the 142,947 passenger trips recorded in 2021 and 48% higher than 2020, when service was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bis-Man Transit Executive Director Deidre Hughes said, “The increase in ridership is an excellent indicator of why the service is so important for our communities. We are extremely pleased that the increase in public awareness and marketing efforts enabled us to exceed 100,000 trips on the CAT bus. This is something we didn’t know would be possible after the ridership hit we took in 2020 and 2021.”
Capital Area Transit, better known as the CAT, is Bis-Man Transit’s fixed-route public bus system serving Bismarck and Mandan, N.D. The CAT was started in 2004 and currently runs five routes in Bismarck and one route in Mandan. Bis-Man Transit’s paratransit service complements the fixed route service by providing transportation for those who are incapable of riding the fixed route service. Paratransit services are also available to senior citizens 70 years or older.
The goal of Bis-Man Transit is to deliver valued public transportation, linking people, jobs and communities.
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