When gas hits $4.00 a gallon, people start to change their behavior.

And yes, it can even happen in the Motor City, as this Detroit News article reports.

According to the article:

• SMART, Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation, which transports riders throughout Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties, saw a 10 percent increase in customers this April compared to last, from an average daily ridership of 40,000 to 44,000. That’s the highest average since the bus system started in 1967. Year-to-date, SMART ridership is up 6.5 percent over the same period last year.

• Detroit city buses transported 7.7 percent more riders from July 2007 through March 2008 than it did the same period a year ago. Average daily ridership went from 130,000 to 140,000.

• The number boarding Amtrak trains between Pontiac, Detroit and Chicago from October 2007 to April 2008 increased 5.2 percent over the same period a year ago, to 260,000 riders.

• The number of passengers nationwide taking the 2-year-old Megabus — which has a route from Detroit to Chicago — more than doubled from 2006 to 2007, to 650,000 riders last year. The service expects to exceed that this year.

FYI, the Megabus stops at State Street in Ann Arbor. More info here.

• Carpooling also is attracting converts. The RideShare carpool program sponsored by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments had 3,456 riders in its database last year. This year, it’s grown to 3,657.

FYI the AATA just created some awesome new carpool software. More info here.

I am working on getting some stats from the AATA. I’ll post them if and when I get them.