West Virginia Universitys famed Personal Rapid Transit system moved into the record books Mondaythe WVU ones, at leastwhen it logged 31,280 passengers for the day. The previous record of 30,175 stands from fall 1981.

Thats the all-time, single-passenger record for the people-mover that was dedicated 34 years ago. When Bob Hendershot saw the passenger report for the day, even he had to stop and stare at the printoutlike a guy at a turnstile without a ticket.

It definitely jumped out,said Hendershot, who oversees the PRT s operation as WVU s assistant director of public safety and transportation services.We keep up-to-minute counts, but we dont generate the final reports until the end of the day. We didnt necessarily know this was happening.

Especially since theend of the dayin this case was after 1 a.m. Tuesday, when the line finally shut down after hauling the last of the FallFest-goers WVU s traditionalWelcome Backconcert on the Downtown Campusto their dorms across town.

I got in this morning and saw the report,Hendershot said.It was like,Hey, will you look at that?It was a good day, because the PRT as doing exactly what its supposed to do.

What it does is simply shuttle WVU s students between Downtown and Evansdale campusesa transit-treasure, if you will, in a bustling college town where gridlock comes standard every fall.

The PRT , in part, was the brainchild of the late Samy E.G. Elias, a professor of transportation who was among many academics across the country looking at the long-term effects of pollution and congestion caused by overburdened roadways.

Some $126 million in federal monies got the project rolling in 1969, and among the PRT s first passengers three years later was Tricia Nixon, daughter of then-President Richard Nixon.

In 1998, the computer-operated, electric-powered system even beat out Disney Worlds iconic monorail The New Electric Railway Journals pick for best people-mover, ever.

But dont look for any red carpets or other star-turns by the turnstiles on this one, Hendershot said, chuckling. The PRT has to stay humble, he said, because it works too hard.

We want people to take it for granted,he said.We just want it be part of the infrastructure. Today was just another day at the office. And theres another day of classes tomorrow.

Other public transit options: Morgantowns MountainLine bus system, free to WVU students with valid WVU ID .

For more information on WVU s PRT , go to:http://www.wvu.edu/%7Efacserv/PRTinterpage.cfm