The Hop logged more than 100,000 rides in July, but let’s complain about it anyway

The Hop logged more than 100,000 rides in July, but let’s complain about it anyway

It’s that time of the month, Milwaukee: the time when ridership numbers for the city’s still-controversial streetcar system, The Hop, are released, analyzed, and argued about. And, continuing a trend that started the spring, the numbers are good! According to automatic passenger counters located in the streetcars’ doors, a record-setting 103,625 rides were taken in July. Average daily ridership came in at a record-setting 3,343. The system’s single biggest day (ever) was July 13, with 8,968 rides being logged.

Pre-launch, the streetcar projected an average daily ridership of 1,850.

So, um, people are riding the thing. A lot of people are riding the thing. Sure, nice weather and plenty of downtown festivals are helping boost the numbers, but no shit.

Here’s are the ridership numbers so far. See if you can spot a trend:

NOVEMBER 2018

Total rides: 80,361

Average daily ridership: (excluding opening weekend): 2,459

DECEMBER 2018

Total rides: 76,131

Average daily ridership: 2,456

JANUARY 2019

Total rides: 48,354

Average daily ridership: 1,560

FEBRUARY 2019 (estimated, due to missing data)

Total rides: 45,000

Average daily ridership: 1,607

MARCH 2019 (estimated, due to missing data)

Total rides: 50,000

Average daily ridership: 1,613

APRIL 2019

Total rides: 55,657

Average daily ridership: 1,855

MAY 2019

Total rides: 62,937

Average daily ridership: 2,030

JUNE 2019

Total rides: 71,367

Average daily ridership: 2,379

JULY 2019

Total rides: 103,625

Average daily ridership: 3,343

UPDATE (8/13/19): For everyone asking, here’s this from The Hop’s website (emphasis ours):

The Hop streetcars are equipped with Automatic Passenger Counter (APC) equipment to record actual boarding data. Each door on the vehicle is equipped with three sensors that emit a beam of infrared light. Each time the beam is broken the APC system records it as a passenger. The three sensors are spaced so that the order in which the beams are broken determines if a passenger is boarding or exiting—only the boarding totals are included in the final ridership counts. APC systems are becoming standard equipment in the transit industry.

To be sure, there are plenty of iffy things about the streetcar: its in-limbo extension and funding plans, its projected ridership drop if/when it isn’t free, and the fact that no one other than Potawatomi has stepped up to sponsor the thing. Therefore, here’s our oft-reprinted starter pack of the usual talking points/complaints you’ll encounter (or employ) when someone mentions that a lot of people are riding the streetcar:

• “Yeah, but check back when the novelty wears off!”

• “Yeah, but check back when it isn’t free!”

• “Yeah, but check back when it’s 30 below for six straight months and there’s nine feet of snow on the ground and thing costs $74 a ride!”

• [that meme of Mayor Barrett saying “A trolley will fix this”]