The city's bus system appears to be becoming the transportation of choice for more residents.

And that's even before the city extended its evening service.

Ridership numbers from August show 36,934 one-way trips were taken throughout the month, a full 1,614 more than there were in August 2012, when 35,320 trips were taken.

In September, the city extended evening transit service until 10:20 Monday to Thursday in addition to the same hours on Friday. Previously, buses stopped running early in the evening

Monday through Thursday.

Whitehorse Transit manager Cheri Malo said Friday it's expected September ridership will see a significant rise with the addition of evening service.

However, she suggested August's boost reflects the fact people are choosing alternatives to their own vehicles to get around.

"People are using transit,” she said, noting drivers are noticing a lot more bikes being loaded onto the racks on the fronts of the buses.

Many cyclists will bike downtown, then use the buses to get home.

"It's the whole picture,” Malo said of active transportation becoming more and more common in the city.

The trails around the city offer alternative routes people enjoy either on foot or by bicycle.

Overall numbers still have to be calculated for September to determine exactly how well the evening service was received in its first month.

Between Sept. 9 and 13, when Yukon College classes began, there were an average of 246 students riding buses every day.

The city, college and its student union began a program last month that saw all full-time college students receive a bus pass, with the college and student union paying for the approximately 500 passes at a significantly reduced rate.

Along with college students making use of the evening service, Malo said, as with most new services and/or schedule changes, there are some people making use of the extended transit

hours right away and others who may still need to see the buses running.

Some may not wait until the final bus run of the night to head home.

However, there are definitely many people who no longer have to rush through getting groceries or having coffee with a friend so they can catch that last bus.

"It's that freedom,” Malo said.

There have been many calls and emails into the transit department from users saying they're very happy they no longer have to ask for a ride home after work because they can now

catch a bus.

The department is hoping to work more with big box stores to ensure employees are aware the buses now run until 10:20 p.m., with 10 p.m. representing closing time for a number of businesses.

Malo was also pleased to note that there were no major hurdles in adjusting to the new schedule.

The city already had essentially the same schedule in place for Fridays for a number of years, she pointed out.