MBTA says ridership increased in 2012, despite fare hike

By Todd Feathers, Globe Correspondent

MBTA ridership increased in 2012 — with an average daily ridership of 1.3 million — despite a summer hike in bus and train fares, T officials said today.

Last year, 400 million people rode the T, a 2.3 percent increase over 2011. The increase defied the expectations of some analysts, who predicted ridership would decrease by as much as 5.5 percent once the fare increases were implemented.

In an effort to combat rising debt in June, the MBTA raised fares on the T, buses, commuter rail, and other systems, while reducing some services.

MBTA General Manager Beverly Scott said in a statementthat 2012 marked the first time average daily ridership was above 1.3 million for an entire calendar year.