Lynx ridership falls

Lynx Blue Line ridership dropped below 14,000 average weekday trips for the first time since last spring, and has dropped 17.6 percent since its peak in July.

That's the bad news.

The good news is that the Lynx still has favorable year-over-year comparisons. The light-rail line averaged 13,963 weekday trips last month, up from 11,930 weekday trips in January 2008. That's a 17 percent increase.

The Charlotte Area Transit System believes it's losing some riders due to the crumbling economy, as well as gas being below $2 a gallon.

The Lynx had a strong summer and fall, with the train consistently carrying more than 16,000 weekday trips. But ridership in November and December averaged 15,500, and then fell significantly in January.