Public Transportation Benefits

Public transportation in the United States is a crucial part of the solution to the nation’s economic, energy, and environmental challenges - helping to bring a better quality of life. In increasing numbers, people are using public transportation and local communities are expanding public transit services. Every segment of American society - individuals, families, communities, and businesses - benefits from public transportation.

Public Transportation Consists of a Variety of Modes

Buses
Trolleys and light rail
Subways
Commuter trains
Streetcars
Cable cars
Van pool services
Paratransit services for Senior citizens and people with disabilities
Ferries and water taxis
Monorails and tramways

Quick Facts

In 2010, Americans took 10.2 billion trips on public transportation.
35 million times each weekday, people board public transportation.
From 1995 through 2010, public transportation ridership increased by 31%—a growth rate higher than the 17% increase in U.S. population and higher than the 24% growth in the use of the nation’s highways over the same period.
Investment in the public transportation industry creates and supports over 1.9 million public and private sector jobs and is a $55 billion a year industry.
More than 7,200 organizations provide public transportation in the United States.

Public Transportation Enhances Personal Opportunities

Public transportation provides personal mobility and freedom for people from every walk of life.
Access to public transportation gives people transportation options to get to work, go to school, visit friends, or go to a doctor’s office.
Public transportation provides access to job opportunities for millions of Americans.

Public Transportation Saves Fuel, Reduces Congestion

Access to bus and rail lines reduces driving by 4,400 miles per household annually.
Americans living in areas served by public transportation save 785 million hours in travel time and 640 million gallons of fuel annually in congestion reduction alone.
Without public transportation, congestion costs would have been an additional $19 billion.

Public Transportation Provides Economic Opportunities

For every $1 invested in public transportation, $4 in economic returns is generated.
Every $1 billion invested in public transportation supports and creates 36,000 jobs.
Every $10 million in capital investment in public transportation yields $30 million in increased business sales.
Every $10 million in operating investment yields $32 million in increased business sales.

Public Transportation Saves Money

The average household spends 18 cents of every dollar on transportation, and 94% of this goes to buying, maintaining, and operating cars, the largest expenditure after housing.
Public transportation provides an affordable, and for many, necessary, alternative to driving.
Households that are likely to use public transportation on a given day save more than $10,000 every year.

Public Transportation Reduces Gasoline Consumption

Public transportation’s overall effects save the United States 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline annually: more than 3 times the amount of gasoline imported from Kuwait.
Households near public transit drive an average of 4,400 fewer miles than households with no access to public transit. This equates to an individual household reduction of 223 gallons per year.

Public Transportation Reduces Carbon Footprint

Communities that invest in public transit reduce the nation’s carbon emissions by 37 million metric tons annually: equivalent to if New York City; Washington, DC; Atlanta; Denver; and Los Angeles combined stopping using electricity.
One person switching to public transit can reduce daily carbon emissions by 20 pounds, or more than 4,800 pounds in a year.
A single commuter switching his or her commute to public transportation can reduce a household’s carbon emissions by 10%, or up to 30% if he or she eliminates a second car. When compared to other household actions that limit CO, taking public transportation can be 10 times greater in reducing this harmful greenhouse gas.

For more public transportation facts, see the Public Transportation Fact Book.