Transit use is on the rise in cities across the country as commuters respond to higher gasoline prices, but not in metro Denver, where sagging ridership has helped prompt RTD to dust off an old ad campaign to promote more bus and light-rail use.

For all of 2010, total transit ridership for the Regional Transportation District was down about 1 percent from 2009, and in January, bus and light-rail boardings declined 2.5 percent from January 2010, according to RTD data.

Agency officials say the area`s high jobless rate and RTD`s recent fare hike most likely contributed to a drop in ridership.

“While you might expect a slight increase in ridership from higher gas prices, we feel that unemployment and a fare increase in January 2011 have offset the increase,” said Terry Howerter, RTD chief financial officer.

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