ST. CLOUD -- A big ridership jump on the Northstar Link commuter bus this March. St. Cloud Metropolitan Transit Commission spokesman Tom Cruikshank says it set a monthly record with 3,360 passengers.

Year over year, it was about a 60% increase for March alone.  Cruikshank says big jumps in gas prices undoubtedly had a big role in the increase. He says they typically see more people riding the bus when gas prices rise, but he said they didn't expect that much of a jump in March.

Cruikshank is hopeful Twins baseball will keep those numbers growing into the summer.

Meanwhile, more people rode Metro Bus in March than they did in March of 2010. Cruikshank says they attribute it to the newly revised Sartell route.

He says they added service hours and cut down on wait times between routes.  He also says it is a better fit having connections at the downtown transit center than at Crossroads Center.

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