Richard Doyle of the Federal Transit Administration recently presented the Martha’s Vineyard Transit Authority with the FTA Region 1 Thinking Outside the Bus 2008 Milestone Achievement Award. The VTA reached the milestone of carrying over one million passengers (1,031,197) for the first time in its history during fiscal year 2008.

VTA passengers have kept it going into the new fiscal year, climbing aboard 261,735 times in July, a new record for the month. The Island’s busiest August week may be a good chance to try riding instead of driving.

It was a banner year for the Vineyard Transit Authority, which posted its highest ridership numbers ever. But while an unprecedented number of passengers chose public transit on the Island this summer, transit authority administrator Angela Grant said her organization could use some relief.

“We should be running more bus service than we actually are, but we don’t have the funding to do it,” she said.

West Tisbury selectmen decided this week they will continue to purchase fuel for town vehicles from the Vineyard Transit Authority, despite complaints from the owners of Up-Island Automotive who told the selectmen last week the switch to discounted gasoline has hurt their business.