Casey Bennett is among a growing number of residents choosing public transit to get around town.

"Right now it's a lot cheaper to ride the bus," Mr. Bennett said. "I take it to work, the mall, anywhere I need to go."

On Thursday morning, Mr. Bennett was among a small group riding a city bus along Washington Road. Overall, though, there has been about a 3 percent increase in riders. Officials say they've seen 11,000 more people hop a bus in the first half of this year compared to the same period a year ago.

Riders on Thursday said they enjoy the bus rides because they're reliable in getting them to work on time, to pay bills and even shopping in some cases. A ride at 9 a.m. Thursday on the No. 5 bus line from the intersection of Alexander Drive and Washington Road downtown to the corner of 11th and Broad streets took roughly 25 minutes as rush hour began to taper off.

However, some riders do have concerns about when the buses run. They say their lives are restricted by bus schedules. Most buses are in the garage by 8 each night.

"Yesterday I had to walk," said Larry Watson, who recently moved to Augusta from New York and uses the bus daily to get to work. "The buses just stop running too early."

Mr. Bennett works at the IHOP on Washington Road and relies on the bus to get him to work on time. When it doesn't run, or if he doesn't make it back to the bus stop by 6 p.m., he has to walk 45 minutes across town.

"It'd be nice if it ran on Sundays, even for half a day at the least," Mr. Bennett said.

Heyward Johnson, the director of Augusta Public Transit, said service is based on ridership figures. Although figures are increasing, the demand for night and Sunday service still isn't high, he said.

Mr. Johnson said that when he came to the transit agency nearly 30 years ago buses were running as late as midnight in some areas.

"Why should I put bus service out there just to take it off again?" Mr. Johnson said, noting that routes have been added and operating hours extended in the past, only to be abandoned.

The overall spike in ridership this year, he said, can mostly be attributed to the high cost of fuel, something the transit system has not been immune to.

"It's just terrible," Mr. Johnson said. "We're having to move money around in our budget to help pay for gas."

However, Mr. Johnson said, so far he hasn't had to cut routes or service because of money shortages.

County taxpayers pay the brunt of the cost of running the buses Monday through Saturday. There is no Sunday service. Riders pay $1 every time they board the bus, though a monthly pass is offered for $50. Mr. Johnson said the system loses about $1.5 million annually.

In June, the transit system began selling advertising space on the sides of its buses. The money raised will be used to help offset the costs to taxpayers. Mr. Johnson expects the new program to bring in about $60,000 in the first year.

TICKET TO RIDE

Call Augusta Public Transit at (706) 821-1721 or visit its Web site at www.augustaga.gov/ departments/public_transit/home.asp for information on routes, fares and hours of operation. The Transfer Center is at 1546 Broad St. All buses originate from that location.