SALISBURY, Md. (AP) — The Tri-County Council for the Lower Eastern Shore says more people are using public transportation in the region.

The council’s Shore Transit Division announced it saw a 6.8 percent increase over fiscal year 2013 in residents using its transportation services. For fiscal year 2014, the division says 453,111 passengers used its fleet of 42 buses, four vans and two cars as a means of public transportation. That’s an increase of almost 20,000 passengers.

The Daily Times of Salisbury (http://delmarvane.ws/1kpPoZ1 ) reports that the increase is attributed to upticks in the economic landscape and expansion of medical assistance transportation.

The Tri-County Council includes Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties. It was created to help the region’s efforts to improve the area’s quality of life.

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