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The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) posted a 1.5 percent gain in ridership in September 2012 compared with the same 2011 period.

The agency registered an average of 1.37 million passenger trips despite September being the third month since higher fares took effect, MBTA officials said in a prepared statement. Analysts had projected earlier that the new fares would result in a 5.5 percent decrease in passenger trips, they said.

Overall weekday ridership rose 2.3 percent and subway ridership increased 3 percent, but commuter-rail average weekday ridership dipped 0.2 percent — a smaller decline than expected, MBTA officials said.

The month's ridership figures were "encouraging" because September is a more typical ridership month since school is back in session, said Acting MBTA General Manager Jonathan Davis.