Public Transportation Is a Fundamental Part
of the Nation’s Surface Transportation Network

Public transportation is an integral element of the nation’s surface transportation network. Public transportation systems contribute to the overall efficiency of the network, reducing congestion and enhancing productivity (alleviating travel time delays and associated costs, and improving economic competitiveness.

According to the 2011 Urban Mobility Report, published by the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University:

• Delays endured by the average commuter have increased 143 percent since 1982; the average commuter wastes 34 hours in traffic each year.
• The cost of congestion is $101 billion, nearly $750 for every commuter in the U.S.
• “Rush hour” is six hours of not rushing anywhere.
• The problem of congestion extends well beyond “rush hour,” with about 40 percent of the delay occurring in the mid-day and overnight hours, impacting the efficiency of businesses — both their production and delivery systems.

Without our current public transportation systems and infrastructure, today’s auto commuters would suffer an additional 785 million hours in delay on our roads and highways or about a 17 percent increase in the total delay. Public transit investments benefit those who use it and those who don’t.

Desired economic growth will only amplify the effects of the congestion problem. A return to even moderate rates of economic growth will lead to an additional 3 hours of delay by 2015 and 7 hours by 2020 for the average commuter. Moreover, as much as 2 billion gallons of fuel is wasted, and by 2015 every commuter will face more than $900 in added costs simply due to congestion and gridlock.

“If you invest in roads and transit, you get better service and access to more jobs,” says Tim Lomax, one of the study's authors. “Generally speaking, mobility investments in congested areas have a high return rate.”

Public Transportation Saves Fuel, Reduces Congestion

• Americans living in areas served by public transportation save 785 million hours in travel time and 303 million gallons of fuel annually in congestion reduction alone.
• Without public transportation, congestion costs would have been an additional $17 billion to $118 billion annually.
• Public transportation’s overall effects save the United States 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline annually.
• 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.

Taxpayers — Who Use Both Highways and Public Transit — Pay Into the Trust Fund; The Trust Fund Should Fund Both

All American citizens who drive pay motor fuels taxes into the Highway Trust Fund. Millions of those same driving Americans also take public transportation—whether to their jobs, work-related daily travel, or special events and entertainment. It is important to remember it is the taxpayer who is paying into the highway trust fund, not the infrastructure itself. Millions of public transit users DO pay into the highway trust fund, and they support using those tax dollars to support public transportation infrastructure investments.

• 15% of the federal motor fuels excise taxes (or 13.5% of all Highway Trust Fund user fees) has historically supported 80% of the federal transit program.
• Since 1983, under President Ronald Reagan, fuels tax revenues have been dedicated to public transit through the Mass Transit Account of the surface transportation legislation. These dedicated revenues were not diverted from the Highway Account, but rather were originally enacted to support public transit capital investment.

Citizens view our transportation system as one system and many use multiple modes to get around. It is a false premise to view the Highway Trust Fund as being supported only by car drivers, but instead it is supported by Americans who use both highways and public transportation. Again, millions of public transit users DO pay into the highway trust fund. In addition, all taxpayers pay into the highway trust fund through the goods and services they purchase.

Public Transportation Provides Economic Opportunities, Jobs and Individual Self-Sufficiency

Public transportation provides communities with an affordable means of mobility, offering individuals greater opportunity to better themselves and provide for their families. Conservatives have supported these investments in the past in order to provide welfare recipients and other low-income individuals an important tool in their effort to secure and retain employment and achieve self-sufficiency.

• Public transportation provides access to job opportunities for millions of Americans.
• Public transportation is a key link to jobs for service and entry-level employees with limited mobility options.
• Access to public transportation gives people transportation options to get to work, go to school, visit friends, or go to a doctor’s office.
• 83% of older Americans say public transit provides easy access to things they need in everyday life.
• Public transit is a vital link for the more than 51 million Americans with disabilities.

Public Transportation Not Only Gets People to Work, It Puts People to Work

Transportation is the backbone of a strong and prosperous economy and investments in public transportation generate significant economic benefits.

• Every $1 invested in public transportation generates approximately $4 in economic returns.
• Every $1 billion invested in public transportation creates or supports 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 Provides Critical Service During Emergencies and Disasters

The availability of public transportation during emergencies and terrorist threats has been critical in maintaining basic access, mobility and safety for individuals.

• In major evacuations, only public transportation has the capacity to move millions of people quickly and to give critical support to first responders by delivering emergency equipment and transporting emergency response personnel. Many city emergency response plans call for heavy use of public transit and school transportation assets.
• Public transit has a unique role in evacuating the carless and special-needs populations — such as persons with disabilities, senior citizens, and the medically homebound — in an emergency.