Public transit is doing a booming business, possibly due to higher gas prices.
Public transit is doing a booming business, possibly due to higher gas prices. (CBC)

More urban Canadians used public transit to get around their cities this summer than last, figures released Friday by Statistics Canada suggest.

A regular survey of 10 large, urban transit systems showed ridership was 4.9 per cent higher in July than it was for the same month in 2007, Statistics Canada said.

Although the survey does not deal with the reasons behind the increase, the price of gas reached new highs in June and early July before beginning a slow retreat.

July saw more than 108 million passenger trips, the survey found. The transit systems tracked by Statistics Canada account for more than 80 per cent of total urban transit in Canada.

Revenue was up nearly 10 per cent in July from the same month in 2007, the survey said. Riders generated $195 million in revenue in July 2008.