Officials from the MBTA were expecting ridership numbers to take a slight dive in August, since a month earlier they implemented the first fare increase throughout the system in half a decade, but much to the surprise of the T, people are still packing on the trains in record numbers.

According to MBTA Spokesman Joe Pesaturo, ridership increased for the eighteenth time in 19 months.  Weekday ridership for August increased by 1.2-percent compared to August of last year, with an average of 1.256 million passenger trips per weekday.

“For the second month in a row, the numbers belie analysts’ projections of a drop of up to 5.5-percent in ridership following the fare increase,” according to a statement from Pesaturo.

If your daily commute felt crowded last month, and even more so now that students have returned to the city, don’t be surprised.

Statistics supplied by T officials show that in August, subway and trolley average weekday ridership grew by 2.7-percent and 1.5-percent, respectively. Commuter Rail ridership increased by 1.4-percent, according to the report.

Bus ridership, however, saw a slight dip, decreasing by 0.6 percent in the month of August.

MassDOT CEO Richard Davey said MBTA staff will continue to closely evaluate ridership before making any final judgments on the effects of the fare increase.

“The robust demand for public transit is a clear sign that we need to maintain a strong transportation system in the Commonwealth,” Davey said in a statement.

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