METRO'S declining ridership numbers

IN LIGHT OF METRO CHAIRMAN DAVID WOLFF'S ADMONITION that Houston should have a "transit ethic," here are some eye-opening stats from the indefatigable Tom Bazan:

BEFORE METRO BUILT URBAN RAIL, FY 2001
Population: 4,262,000
Transit Boardings: 101,914,157
Unemployment Rate: 4.3%

SIX YEARS AFTER URBAN RAIL COMPLETED, FY 2009
Population: 5,090,600
Transit Boardings: 73,080,702 + 11,561,633(rail) = 84,642,335 total
Unemployment Rate: 8.5%