BOSTON -- The average number of weekly riders in 2008 on Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority services was the highest in the T's history, according to MBTA General Manager Daniel Grabauskas.

On a typical weekday last year, an average of 1.28 million passenger trips were made on MBTA services, representing a 4.3 percent increase from 2007.

"We are very pleased that an average of nearly 1.3 million riders a day last year chose the T as their preferred method of travel," said Grabauskas. "This year, we'll continue to focus our efforts on improving the services that are attracting so many people to our trains and buses."

In the final month of 2008, average weekday ridership was slightly less than the December 2007 average. MBTA officials said that among the factors that likely contributed to the small decline were rising unemployment, a soft economy and dramatically falling gas prices.