It’s too bad that 2006 lasted longer than August.

Up to that point, ridership on the Lawrence’s Transit System had been up 15 percent over the year before.

Instead, by year’s end, the T recorded an 8.6 percent increase in ridership over 2005.

That’s fine for Cliff Galante, public transit administrator, who attributed the late-year slowdown in ridership to falling gasoline prices.

“In late August and September, that was when fuel prices started to come down again,” Galante said. “As a result of that, our ridership began to decrease.

“What that tells me is there were people that … when gas prices go up, they’re hurt by that, and they look for alternate ways to get around.”

The city’s transit system also experienced an increase in patrons using its para-transit service, which provides a ride for residents with disabilities.

Reasons for more rides on the para-transit service is somewhat harder for Galante to pin down, because that population hasn’t grown as fast as the para-transit ridership.

He wasn’t aware of social agencies that had stopped providing transportation for the disabled or elderly and knew of only a couple of assisted living facilities that had.

“What that tells me is more people in the community that have disabilities are finding out about the service,” Galante said.

Last year was somewhat new for the T, as it partnered with the expanded Kansas University bus route and its Park and Ride system.

Galante said the Park and Ride presence hasn’t detracted from the T’s ridership; in fact, the two are linked by a partnership.

The city reports the T ridership along with the Park and Ride numbers to the government in order to attract more federal money for its service.

If Galante combined ridership from the T, para-transit service and the Park and Ride, it would represent a 40 percent increase in the number of people who use public transportation in Lawrence over the last year.

“(Park and Ride) has a dramatic impact,” Galante said, “which will hopefully help us in securing future federal funds to support our service.”