ˈridership
[f. rider n. + -ship.]
1. The position or office of a rider; † rangership (obs.). rare.
| 1450 Rolls of Parlt. V. 192/1 The office of Ridership within the Forest of Delamare. 1485 Ibid. VI. 382/1 The Office of Rydership or Maister Forster of the Forest or Chase of Dertmore. 1821 W. Taylor in Monthly Rev. XCIV. 493 He ventured to propose the abolition of all riderships. |
2. orig. N. Amer. The number of passengers (using a particular form of public transport). Also attrib.
| 1972 W. G. Davis Urban Transportation Policy for Ontario 5 This emphasis on the needs of the passenger and the improvement of service has enlarged ridership considerably. 1975 Nature 20 Feb. 580/2 This move has already been reflected in increased public transport ‘ridership’ figures in most communities. 1979 Monitor (McAllen, Texas) 9 July 8b/8 Allegheny [Airlines] operates no DC-10's, so it has picked up part of the ridership while those planes are grounded. 1981 Daily Tel. 7 Mar. 18 Costs are more or less fixed whatever the level of ridership and the only way of improving revenue is to attract more off-peak passengers. |