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The popularity of the local bus system is increasing, with more people riding to work and school and to run errands.

Ridership on the four fixed-route buses and the Call-A-Bus system jumped from about 171,000 in 2002 to nearly 231,000 last year, according to local transportation officials.

The number of riders is increasing at a faster rate than the population. The number of riders has increased 35 percent in the last nine years, compared to a population growth in the city of about 14 percent in the last 12 years, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

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