"Whenever it's running, we're using it," said Jergensen, 20, who was waiting at a downtown bus stop Thursday with Tayrien, 20, next to the Old Capitol Town Center.

Just like the two missionaries, more Iowa City and Coralville residents are riding city buses this year, according to a report released this week by the Environment Iowa Research and Policy Center.

In Iowa City, people took 4 percent more bus trips in the first half of 2009 than in the first six months of 2008, while 6 percent more rode in Coralville during that same period, according to the report.

Vicky Robrock, Coralville's director of parking and transportation, said that in fiscal year 2009, or from July 2008 through June 2009, ridership soared to 536,319 trips, an 8.2 percent increase over the 495,708 riders the previous year.

"That was a very significant jump for us," Robrock said.

Robrock said although there is not a single driving factor behind the increase, the cumulative effect of high gas prices and the national recession make riding the bus a better option for many. The success of the UI semester pass program also has brought in new riders in recent years, she said.

"Clearly, if you start putting the pieces of the economy together with the fact that in fiscal year '09 we had some significant cost increases as far as fuel, I think it's just the whole picture right now that's a factor," Robrock said.

Public transit use in Iowa as a whole and nationally also is rising, the report says. Iowa's ridership grew by 5 percent in 2008 from the previous year, while the number of miles traveled by drivers decreased by 8 percent from than the year before. Nationally, ridership increased by 4 percent while people drove 4 percent less.

Matt Gibson, a Ph.D. student in computer science at the University of Iowa, takes the bus to and from downtown daily from his west-side Iowa City apartment.

"It's cheaper for students and a lot better deal for us than to park," he said.

For some, like Latoya Harmon, 25, for whom driving isn't an option, the bus is her only means of navigating the city, despite a lengthy ride for her each day.

"It's two hours just to get to one place," Harmon said Thursday morning on her way from her home off Mormon Trek Boulevard across town with her 2-year-old son, Tysean Young.

Robrock said that many riders, like Harmon, count on the buses as their primary means of transportation.

"There is that general core population of transit-dependent people," Robrock said. "Truly, we're their means of how they get to work and how they get to their doctor's appointments. It's very important for those individuals."

Robrock says Coralville's buses have so far been able to handle the added load on its six routes, though they've had to add an occasional overflow bus on Saturdays this fall.

Robrock said if ridership levels continue to climb, Coralville could have to address the issue of buses reaching capacity in future years.

"We're not there now, for the most part, but it's something we'll have to look at in the future if it increases as steadily as it is," Robrock said.

Iowa City transit officials did not return phone calls or respond to e-mail messages.

Environment Iowa touts the increase in public transit use as a step Iowans are taking toward reducing dependence on oil for travel. Robrock said that locally, the strong use of the bus system makes a difference.

"In our metropolitan area, anytime you can put 40 people to a bus, then have one bus versus 40 cars, clearly it's making an impact on our environment with just overall fuel usage," Robrock said.

UI students who have a UI parking permit or do not own a vehicle can purchase a semester bus pass for Coralville and Iowa City routes starting at $50.

Kalynn Short, a junior accounting major, makes the 15-minute trip to class each day from her Coralville apartment on the city bus, often passing the time with a book. While she drives into town for her night classes, she says using the student pass makes sense during the day.

"The stop is right outside my apartment," she said. "It costs $50 a semester instead of paying for parking."

For Jergensen and Tayrien, it beats the other option.

"It's a lot quicker than walking," Jergensen said.