The T’s ridership growth mirrors a national trend. In 2014, Americans took 10.8 billion trips on public transportation, which is the highest number in 58 years, according to the report.

Overall, the MBTA reported a 1.4 percent increase in ridership in 2014, according to a report released last week by the American Public Transportation Association.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority finally got a bit of good news last week: Ridership hit a record high of 400.8 million trips last year.

APTA president Michael Melaniphy said in a statement that it showed people are changing the way they travel, and they want more options.


“In the past people had a binary choice,” he said. “You either took public transit, most likely a bus, or you drove a car. Now there are multiple options with subways, light rail, streetcars, commuter trains, buses, ferries, cars, and shared-use vehicles.”

The numbers were a bright spot for the beleaguered MBTA, which had been hit hard by an onslaught of snow that began in late January.

The T’s ferry services saw the biggest bump, going up 9.5 percent from 1.26 million trips to 1.3 million trips last year.

The subway services saw a 4.89 percent increase in ridership. Its light rail service, which includes the Green Line, saw a 4 percent decrease.

The commuter rail also gained riders last year: The service saw a 3.5 percent increase in ridership, bringing total commuter rail trips to 36 million from 34.8 million the year before. Nationally, ridership on commuter rail lines increased by 2.9 percent in 2014, with 22 out of 28 public transit systems seeing an increase.

Those results are especially welcome for the commuter rail system, which is now run by Keolis Commuter Services. For years, the T’s commuter rail had been losing riders, despite ridership increases in commuter rail nationwide.


MassDOT consolidationstill rocky six years later

The human resources departments of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the MBTA are still struggling to become unified organizations with clear strategies, according to recent independent audit.

In 2009, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation was created and given oversight of the MBTA in a reform strategy passed by the Legislature. The report, conducted by Ernst & Young and released last week, criticizes the organizations for continuing to work in “cultural silos” and refusing to unify into “one homogenous culture aligned with a strategic vision.”

Those silos, the report argues, allows employees to be disengaged and hurts productivity.

The “cultural silos are exacerbated by the perception and the reality that there continue to be compensation and leadership inequities,” the report said.

The audit largely focused on human resources processes, but also revealed some cultural issues at the agency: For example, the audit said a 2011 employee survey had only a 19 percent participation rate, “due to the lack of trust in leadership and the fear of retaliation.”

In addition, the agencies have a “considerable backlog” of open positions. About 4,400 people work at MassDOT and about 6,300 work at the MBTA.

The audit said a recent hiring freeze helped contribute to the backlog of positions. But the problem is exacerbated because of complications with labor agreements and other issues, the audit said.

The audit, presented to a MassDOT board committee last week, recommended that MassDOT develop a unified and clear human resources strategy that aligns with the agency’s mission.


Nicole Dungca can be reached at nicole.dungca@globe.com.