Lake County, OH – Drivers across the Greater Cleveland area are trying to find ways to save money as retail gas prices have soared from $3.51 to $3.86 in the last month, according to GasBuddy.com. One of the quickest solutions to beating gas prices is choosing to take public transportation.

Laketran’s March 2011 ridership is up 2% over March 2010 including a 10% increase in fixed route ridership alone. “If March’s weather was more favorable, I would contribute these figures to better weather, but it’s been cold and rainy. I think gas prices are making people think twice about driving and they are taking the bus,” commented Andy Altenweg, Laketran deputy general manager.

Laketran’s homepage, www.laketran.com, has added a Gas Saving Calculator that helps calculate the money you can save in gasoline and parking by riding Laketran.

To calculate your personal savings for Cleveland commuters simply enter the distance of your commute, your vehicles’ miles per gallon (mpg), and your monthly parking fees downtown. The Savings Calculator will calculate your monthly driving costs and compare your savings to the purchase of a Laketran 31-day commuter express ticket which costs $135. Cleveland commuters can easily save $1,500 to $2,000 annually depending on the distance of their commute and if they pay for parking.

The American Public Transportation Associations released a report rating the top 20 American cities in order of their transit savings based on cost of monthly pass and local gas prices for March 2011, and an unreserved parking rate. Cleveland ranked 13 of 20 calculating an average monthly savings of $833 and an annual savings of $9,953. (Source, http://publictransportation.org/tools/transit-savings.asp)

Laketran has Park-n-Ride locations in Madison, Mentor, Kirtland (Lakeland College), Painesville Township (Laketran Headquarters), Eastlake (Classic Park), Willowick (St. Mary Magdalene’s and Shoregate Shopping Center), and Wickliffe.