Edmonton Transit buses and LRT ridership have grown by eight per cent in the first six months of 2008, compared with the same period last year. (CBC)

Edmonton Transit is reporting an "astounding" increase in the number of passengers on city buses and the LRT.

Ridership rose by eight per cent in the first six months of the year compared with the same period last year.

The increase amounts to an extra 2.5 million fares for the transit system, officials told CBC News Tuesday.

"Buses are packed, the LRT is packed, ridership continues to increase at an astounding rate," said Ken Koropeski, director of service development for Edmonton Transit.

The increase is almost three times the growth being experienced by other transit systems across the country, Koropeski said, a trend for the city over the past few years.

Some of it is due to high gas prices, he said. But the growth is also a result of the city's booming economy, which is attracting many newcomers.

The city is also seeing more university and college students on the system as a result of a new program introduced in September 2007, which gives them unlimited access to transit as part of their tuition fees.

The increased loads are obvious on many routes, Koropeski said.

"I'm even seeing [it] in off peak time periods. I've taken the bus out of the downtown area at 6 o'clock at night, and we've got standing loads on these, and a few years ago we would not have had this situation."