
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, October 12, 1993                   TAG: 9310120012
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

VALLEY METRO RIDERSHIP BOUNCED UPWARD IN

Valley Metro ridership bounced upward in September with the opening of school, but the trend has been downward since an average weekday high of 5,501 in May 1992.

Stephen Mancuso, bus company manager, said ridership was affected by this summer's closing of the Sears Telecatalog Center. He expects that to reverse when Retired Persons Services Inc. opens at the Thirlane Road site this month.

"It fluctuates," Mancuso said of weekday ridership. The 12-month average through August was 5,313.

"It wouldn't take much," he said, for the number of riders to climb back far enough to equal last year's.

by CNB