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The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet) posted 8.6 million trips on its rail and bus systems last month, down 1 percent compared with April 2008 totals despite the addition of a new commuter-rail service. One reason: The data is being compared against record passenger counts registered when gas prices soared to an all-time high, TriMet said.

Total MAX light-rail ridership dropped 3.1 percent to 679,500 trips. Weekday light-rail ridership declined 3.5 percent to 107,000 and weekend ridership dipped 1.6 percent to 144,500. Rush-hour ridership dropped 6.8 percent to 31,600.

TriMet's new WES commuter-rail service, which opened in February, carried 5,850 passengers last month.