Photo by kimberlyfaye

In today’s Examiner, Kytja Weir reports that falling ridership numbers continue to get worse for Metro, which in turn is spelling an even more serious budget shortfall than expected.

Last month, the transit agency said it expected to have a shortfall of $22.4 million for the entire fiscal year because ridership was falling below expectations since the June 22 train crash.

But the agency is already $22.6 million short just four months into the budget year, according to a Metro report to be presented this week.

Among the reasons cited in the article for why ridership has continued to decline are the aftermath and inconveniences that followed the June 22 Red Line crash, higher unemployment in the metro area, and a sort of reversion to the mean in terms of last year’s high gas prices forcing drivers off the road. We’d speculate that in addition to those reasons, more residents looking to save money during the recession may be eschewing shorter bus and Metrorail trips in favor of even cheaper alternatives: walking or biking.