Riders on the Saluki Express are at an all-time high with more than 46,000 last month, the most since its induction on the SIUC campus in 1996.

As gas prices are $3 nationwide, students at SIUC are starting to use the bus system more. According to ridership records, 4.828 more students rode the bus in September than in the same month last year, an 11 percent increase.

Jeff Duke, deputy director of the Student Center, said he doesn’t expect to see the numbers of riders stagnate anytime soon. Since July, the bus has had 8,790 more riders, and last year they posted a record number of riders with 347,675 riders.

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According to the Gas Watchers Web site, the average gas in Carbondale is $2.89, which Duke said is adversely affecting the bus system. The Saluki Bus service budget is around $1.4 million, and if gas stays at its high price, students might be looking at a higher mass transit fee.

“The rise in gas prices has taken its toll, and we have drained the money from our system,” Duke said.

Tashauna Waters said she depends on the Saluki Bus Services.

When she lived on campus, having a car wasn’t a necessity. After moving off campus, her car was the only way she could get to school, and when it broke down, she had to resort to the bus.

“It was hard at first, but I am use to it now,” Waters said. “And this way I don’t have to spend money on gas.”

Duke said one of the main reasons more students are riding the bus is due to high gas prices, but also because of the fine-tuning the system goes through every year.

“We try to adjust timing so it’s not late and make sure the bus gets everywhere when it is supposed to,” Duke said. “But sometimes it is hard with noon traffic on campus.”

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Reporter Matthew McConkey can be reached at [email protected]