HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) Preliminary numbers for the first week of central Connecticut's bus-only corridor show an average of 10,344 daily riders.
The Hartford Courant reports that Transportation Commissioner James Redeker says reliable numbers probably won't be available for a month or two. CTfastrak began service March 28.
Backers of the $567 million Hartford-to-New Britain route and its critics are looking for ridership numbers to prove their point that the bus rapid-transit system is a success or a costly failure.
Redeker says the numbers so far are impressive and maybe beyond expectations.
Some buses were packed to their full 112-passenger capacity, while others carried just two or three passengers.
The state says it's looking to average 11,000 daily riders on the busway's routes in the first year and 16,000 by 2030.