CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority (CCRTA) will retain their bus fare prices despite the cost of gas going up in the area.
As the price for fuel skyrockets, transportation officials believe it may lead to more ridership as people search for ways to save.
According to AAA Texas, the average for a gallon of regular unleaded in Corpus Christi is $3.92. The current cost falls four cents short of the highest ever recorded average price for gas sitting at $3.96 in 2008.
Rita Patrick, Director of Marketing for CCRTA, said that despite increasing prices at the pump, their vehicles run on various fuel sources including compressed natural gas or CNG. The alternative sources also prove to be more affordable.
CCRTA has about 36 routes that can take riders wherever they need to go throughout the Corpus Christi area including areas such as Robstown and Port Aransas.
"You can ride the bus all day for $1.75 and if you are a student, you can ride the bus for 25 cents," Patrick said.
She adds that the bus fare prices compare well to what the costs of a gallon of gas is going for in recent days. According to Patrick, a 31 day pass to ride the bus is $30. The month long pass costing much less than what it would cost to fill up at the gas station.
"I encourage everyone if you are going to the grocery store, a doctors visit, work or school, we encourage everyone to take the public transportation system to utilize for their transportation needs," Patrick said.
With gas prices going up Patrick said that public transportation ridership has increased gradually.
"Pre COVID we ran 15-16 thousand riders a day," Patrick said. "So we've seen a decrease, but since COVID is diminishing and people are going back to work, we've seen an uptick in our ridership which we are excited about."
While the idea of switching from a car to public transportation might take some slight adjustment, Patrick encourages residents to plan out routes on the CCRTA website and to use their app to better understand their options.
"You can see if you are at a bus stop, when the bus will be coming in, how soon it will be coming to you, and what bus to take," Patrick said.
For more information about bus routes and where to get started mapping out your next trip, click here.
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