Ridership on the county's Eagle Transit buses continues to push upward, with an increase of 6,400 rides projected this year.

"Ridership is going great," Agency on Aging Director Jim Atkinson told county commissioners last week.

The transit system has come into its own over the past couple of years. In fiscal year 2008, the buses gave 51,915 rides; in fiscal 2009 the ridership jumped to 64,594. For fiscal 2010, which ends next June, an estimated 71,000 rides are projected.

The increased ridership is bolstered by federal and state grants to accommodate the growth.

For more of this story, see the print edition of Monday's Inter Lake.