As of 11 a.m. on Friday, Metro had transported 237,000 riders, more than 40,000 more people than had used the service a week ago at that same time for Trump’s inaugural ceremony. | WMATA File Photo Friday’s Metro ridership higher than during Trump’s inauguration as demonstrators flood D.C.

Ridership on Washington’s Metro public transportation system on Friday eclipsed that of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, according to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

As of 11 a.m. on Friday, Metro had transported 237,000 riders, more than 40,000 more people than had used the service a week ago at that same time for Trump’s inaugural ceremony. The uptick in ridership relative to Trump’s inaugural festivities is likely thanks to the March for Life, which drew thousands of demonstrators to the National Mall, as well as regular daily commuters making their way into work.


Inauguration day, by contrast, is considered a holiday in Washington, keeping regular commuters at home.

While both Trump’s inauguration and the March for Life provided significant upticks in ridership for the Metro system, both fell short of the bar set by last Saturday’s Women’s March on Washington, which brought 275,000 people through the public transit system.

CORRECTION: This post has been corrected to clarify that WMATA did not tweet the numbers.