07:09 PM CDT on Monday, April 24, 2006

By Janice Williamson / 11 News

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What sacrifices are you willing to make to avoid paying high gasoline prices?

Some people are beginning to change their habits and switch to public transit and Metro is taking notice.

What's happening on Metro buses and on its rail line is unprecedented. There has been a 10 percent increase in ridership the past six months.

Just ask Jill Shanklin, who rides light rail every day to work in the Texas Medical Center.

"They usually drive two attached trains and they're full the whole way. You don't usually sit down in the morning," said Shanklin.

The obvious reason for commuters to jump on board is high gas prices.

Dave Williams wants to keep some cash in his pocket.

"Right now gas prices are very high and I travel from one side of town to the other. To keep down less stress and traffic I'd rather use Metro," said Williams.

Since September 4 million more people caught the bus than the same period last year and 600,000 more people hopped a ride on the rail.

While high gas prices are the most obvious reason, "That's not the only one. There's a combination of factors and it's difficult to pinpoint which one played the bigger part. There's population increase and relocation of Hurricane Katrina evacuees," said Sandra Salazar of Metro.

While construction once forced metro to change downtown routes, they are now stable and attracting more commuters.

We did some digging and found out what's happening here in Houston may be part of a national trend. According to the American Public Transportation Assocation there's been a 25 percent increase in ridership nationwide in the last decade.

It seems letting someone else do the driving is catching on.