Exploding gasoline prices have caused a big jump in ridership on the GRTC Transit System's commuter bus routes, the system's chief says.

From April 2007 to last month, the biggest jump in riders was on the two express routes serving Chesterfield County, which saw ridership grow 80 percent -- from 5,018 to 9,050.

Riders using express routes from Henrico County to downtown Richmond increased 9.5 percent to 22,252 last month and riders using GRTC's Virginia Commonwealth University commuter service jumped 25 percent to 104,062.

GRTC CEO John Lewis Jr. said the ridership increase can be attributed to higher gas prices, as year-over-year ridership numbers were essentially flat in the winter, before the gas-price run-up.

AAA Mid-Atlantic reported yesterday that the average price of a gallon of gas in Richmond jumped 6 cents during the weekend to a new high of $3.66 per gallon. During the April 18-21 weekend, prices jumped 9 cents to $3.48 per gallon.

National and Virginia records for regular gas were set yesterday as well, at $3.72 and $3.64 respectively.

"I think it's atrocious. I don't think people should be spending that much on gas," said Joseph Harris, 59, who took the GRTC bus home to Highland Park from Ninth and Broad streets.

Harris estimates that he saves $10 a day by taking the bus.

"It costs over $40 to fill a car, and $40 isn't that easy to come by nowadays, with inflation, people getting put off of work. . . . I can get where I want to go on the bus. . . . I'm riding the bus just to save on some gas."

If predictions can be based on one day's trading, petroleum markets yesterday could indicate that prices are stabilizing, if only for a while. Crude oil closed down $1.73 per barrel at $124.23 and regular gas down 3.7 cents per gallon at $3.164 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

However, before motorists see any stability at the pump, retail prices probably will have to increase a few more pennies. That's because yesterday, in Richmond, only a few tenths of a cent separated wholesale and retail prices for regular gas.

The soaring prices are affecting people's behavior in all sorts of ways.

At the Advance Auto Parts store on Forest Hill Avenue, for example, more economy-conscious motorists are buying cleaners for their fuel-injected motors, said assistant manager Calvin Patrick. The favorite of many products to choose from, he said, is Lucas Fuel Injector Cleaner, which can improve fuel economy by 3 miles a gallon.

On the GRTC system, the influx of riders is bringing the buses on the express routes to their saturation point, Lewis said. The system has fielded calls from some unhappy riders who were unable to get on a bus, he said.

GRTC has no more buses to put on the road, Lewis said.

The flip side of the increased ridership is that the price of the fuel keeping the buses running also is increasing. "I never thought I'd have to pick up the skill of following the commodities markets," he said.

The GRTC system holds down costs by buying ahead, but can only get one-year contracts from its supplier, compared with twoto three-year contracts in the past.

The system, which is exempt from state fuel taxes, buys 7,500 gallons of diesel each day. Yesterday, it paid $2.61 a gallon for diesel, compared with $2.19 last month, Lewis said. At retail, diesel averaged $4.27 a gallon in the Richmond area yesterday.

In the 2006 fiscal year, the system's fuel budget was $1.1 million, but for the fiscal year that begins July 1, the system has budgeted $4.3 million for fuel, Lewis said. If the system were paying the wholesale terminal price for fuel, the cost would be $6.8 million, he said.

The GRTC's ride-share program added four van pools last month, Lewis said. The system operates 68 van pools that travel as far away as Washington and Virginia Beach, including to the Hampton Roads military bases.
Contact Greg Edwards at (804) 649-6390 or gedwards@timesdispatch.com.

Staff writer Chris I. Young contributed to this report.