Metro Transit’s resurgence continued last year as ridership on buses and trains rose for the third straight year, while reported crime, one of the factors that has kept riders away, fell by 6%, agency officials said Monday.

For the third year in a row, ridership has grown on Metro Transit, and officials hope that Twin Cities area residents will continue to use public transportation especially as fare prices dropped in the beginning of the year.

As crime fell 6% last year on Metro Transit, ridership increased by nearly the same amount, officials announced Monday. Still, ridership hasn’t rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. Metro Transit says the year-over-year ridership growth can be partially attributed to programs making transit more affordable and easier to use.