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OTTUMWA, IOWA -- Good news for the 10-15 Transit System in Ottumwa -- ridership is up significantly across the board.

In October 2011, 15,370 people rode the buses. In October 2012, that number increased to 23,479.

More increases were seen in south commercial and residential routes (18 and 25 percent, respectively) and east to west routes saw an 18% increase.

The city of Ottumwa is happy with those numbers, as it shows 10-15 Transit is back on its feet.

"In large part, because of the increase in ridership and the management of Ottumwa Transit, we can say that its financially sound," said Joe Helfenberger, Ottumwa City Administrator. "The ridership numbers significantly contribute to that."

In addition, Ottumwa's central garage came up with a new maintenance reporting system that can track labor and parts on each bus. That will make it much easier to evaluate which buses are in good condition and which need work.