Public Transportation: The Need is Now
Public transportation is undergoing a renaissance in the U.S., but more is
needed. An overview of the benefits provides a powerfulrationale for investing
in its future.
Links to National Goals and Policies
Public transportation is vital in helping the U.S. enhance safety and security,
protect the environment and public health, and conserve energy.
Benefits for Individuals and Families
Public transportation provides access, choice and economic opportunity for
millions of Americans.
Benefits to Business and Industry
Employers throughout the U.S. are taking advantage of publictransportation
to attract larger and more reliable work forces and save in a variety of ways.
Benefits for Communities and Local Governments
Communities that invest in public transportation realize enhanced development
and prosperity in the form of more jobs, revitalized business and activity
centers, and an expanded tax base.
Benefits for Public Programs and Community
Services
Public transportation means savings for human services programs, more access
to healthcare and education, and a vital link for seniors, the disabled and
children.
Benefits for Metropolitan America, Small
Urban and Rural Areas
With public transportation, metropolitan areas can remain economicengines,
small urban communities help maintain their character, and residents in the
rural heartland have critical access to jobs and more.
Benefits of Partnership and Collaboration
Government and the private sector have been successfully working together
to fund,
Public Transportation: The
Need is Now
Throughout the U.S., public transportation is undergoing a renaissance. Steady
increases in transit investment have dramatically improved and expanded public
transportation services, attracting record numbers of riders on state-of-the-art
systems in metropolitan, small urban and rural areas alike.
In the last six years alone, public transportation use has risen 22% -- faster
than vehicle miles traveled on our roadways and airline passenger miles logged
over the same period. In 2001, Americans used public transportation 9.5 billion
times -- the highest ridership level in 40 years.
Communities across the country are rehabilitating and expanding public transportation
systems and constructing new ones. Currently:
556 local public transportation operators provide services in 319 urbanized
areas with a population of over 50,000.
1,260 organizations provide public transportation in rural areas.
3,660 organizations provide services to the aging population and disabled
individuals.
Through improved mobility, safety, security, economic opportunity and environmental
quality, public transportation benefits every segment of American society
-- individuals, families, businesses, industries and communities --
and supports important national goals and policies.
At the same time, the growing problem of traffic congestion continues to
choke America’s roadways and restrain community and business development.
This fact-filled report provides an overview of the benefits public transportation
brings to America. Public transportation is taking on an increasingly important
role in America’s multimodal transportation network. Its broad reach
extends to all of America’s communities, large and small, and all of
Americans’ diverse lifestyles, providing freedom and mobility for citizens
across the country. It also supports the country’s critical national
goals and policies, including helping to conserve energy resources, thereby
decreasing the dependence on foreign oil.
The rebirth of public transportation is a critically important part of America’s
future, providing more capacity, creating more choices and helping address
the needs of a growing and changing population.
These myriad benefits of public transportation provide a powerful rationale
for investing in the future upgrade and expansion of the nation’s public
transportation network.
For companion documents that describe in greater detail the varied benefits
that public transportation provides you and residents of your community, contact
your local transit agency or APTA at (202) 496-4800, www.apta.com.
Links to National Goals and Policies
Public transportation helps lead the nation towards its goals and policies
of protecting the environment, conserving energy, and providing for the health,
safety and security of its citizens.
Safety and Security
Compared to road systems, transit systems are significantly safer. Trips
with similar destinations result in 200,000 fewer deaths, injuries and accidents
when made by public transit than by car, adding up to between $2 billion and
$5 billion per year in safety benefits. The National Safety Council estimates
that riding the bus is over 170 times safer than automobile travel.
Featuring new visual, voice and data communications systems linking vehicles,
stations and riders with state-of-the-art operations centers, transit systems
also provide more security than roadways. In fact, many transit systems now
formally serve as safe havens for children and students moving throughout
communities. Systems on the leading edge include:
Cincinnati’s SORTA, one of many that is installing state-of-the-art
cameras throughout its bus system
Washington, DC’s WMATA, which is deploying state-of-the-art chemical
sensors on the Metro rail system
Increased resiliency and redundancy -- helping in emergencies
Time and time again, the availability of public transportation in times of
emergency -- both natural and man-made -- has proven to be critical in maintaining
basic access, mobility and safety for individuals who come in harm’s
way. The value of public transportation services in providing essential redundancy
and resiliency in our transportation network cannot be overstated.
-
By midday, September 11, 2001, New York’s MTA subway and commuter
trains and buses were evacuating millions of commuters from Manhattan.
Following the attack on the Pentagon, Washington, DC’s WMATA moved
hundreds of thousands of commuters safely and provided buses to deploy
police and to serve as shelters for rescue workers. And public transportation
systems around the country aided passengers stranded by the air system
shut downs.
-
In 1999, public transportation systems in North Carolina transported volunteers,
evacuated residents and raised funds across the state for victims of Hurricane
Floyd and, in Flint, MI, evacuated a senior citizen’s complex after
a gas explosion.
In 1998, public transportation systems transported firefighters to wildfires
in Florida and evacuated tornado victims in Nashville.
-
San Francisco’s BART system supported commuters and the regional
economy following the collapse and reconstruction
of major road segments after the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989.
A cleaner environment
Emissions from road vehicles are the largest contributors to smog. Over 200
million passenger cars and light trucks log almost 2 trillion miles on American
roads every year. These vehicles account for about 50% of air pollution nationwide—
even higher in polluted cities.
The smog-filled air is devastating to the environment, reducing growth and
survival of tree seedlings, and heightening the susceptibility of plants to
disease and pests, among other damages.
In addition, surfaces paved to accommodate more traffic result in increased
urban runoff, which is responsible for:
55% of environmentally impaired ocean shorelines
46% of impaired estuary shore miles
21% of impaired lakeshore miles
Increased investment in and use of public transportation provides significant,
direct environmental benefits and helps meet national air quality standards.
By reducing smog-producing pollutants, greenhouse gases, and run-off from
paved surfaces that degrades the water supply, and by conserving ecologically
sensitive lands and open spaces, public transportation reduces pollution,
thus protecting the environment and promoting better health.
-
Public transportation reduces annual emissions of the pollutants that
create smog—volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides
(NOx)—by more than 70,000 tons and 27,000 tons respectively. These
reductions equal:
-
nearly 50% of all VOCs emitted from the dry cleaning industry, a
major source of this pollutant
-
45% of VOCs emitted from the industrial uses of coal
-
50% of NOx from the industrial uses of coal
-
more than 33% of the NOx emitted by all domestic oil and gas producers
or by the metal processing industry
-
The reduced VOC and NOx emissions that result from public transportation
use save between $130 million and $200 million a year in regulatory costs.
-
Public transportation reduces carbon monoxide (CO) emissions
by nearly 745,000 tons annually. This equals nearly 75% of the CO emissions
by all U.S. chemical manufacturers.
-
Public transportation reduces emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), which
contributes to global warming, by more than 7.4 million tons a year.
Public health
People across America are suffering from air polluted to a large degree by
vehicle emissions.
Every summer, high smog levels cause some 159,000 trips to the emergency
room, 53,000 hospital admissions and 6,000,000 asthma attacks.
-
One out of every three people in the U.S.—including active children,
adults with respiratory or cardiovascular disease and the aging population—is
at higher risk of experiencing
ozone-related health problems.
-
For every passenger mile traveled, public transportation produces only
a fraction of the harmful pollution of automobile traffic: only 5% as
much carbon monoxide, less than 8% as many volatile organic compounds
and nearly half as much carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides.
Energy conservation
The supply of oil is finite. Public transportation is crucial in helping
to save energy by using it wisely.
-
Americans use more energy for transportation than for any other activity.
Nearly 43% of America’s energy resources are used in transportation,
compared to industrial use (39%), residential use (11%) and commercial
use (7%). Any serious effort to address energy conservation must focus
largely on transportation.
For every passenger mile traveled, public transportation is twice as fuel
efficient as private automobiles.
-
Public transportation already saves more than 855 million gallons of gasoline
or 45 million barrels of oil a year. The number is equivalent to the energy
used to heat, cool and operate one-fourth of all American homes annually,
or half the energy used to manufacture all computers and electronic equipment
in America annually.
Benefits for Individuals and Families
In community after community, public transportation is making a real difference
in the daily lives of individuals and households.
Improves mobility
Transit systems throughout the U.S. are providing choices and luring riders
from their cars. For example, in Denver, nearly 50% of light rail riders previously
used cars, and nearly 60% of new riders on the city’s Southwest LRT extension
are new to transit. Over 25% of commuters to the city center use transit and
light rail -- 56% ahead of projections. The LRT systems in Denver, Salt Lake
City and Dallas have attracted 60%, 43% and 30% more riders, respectively,
than projected.
For others, public transportation is a necessity. Recent ridership figures
indicate that public transportation is critical for many Americans.
-
Of current transit riders, over 20% would not have made the trip without
transit, and nearly 70% do not have access to cars at the time their trip
is made. One-third have yearly household incomes below $15,000 -- well
below $17,600, the poverty level for a family of four in 2000.
Nearly 94% of public assistance recipients do not own cars and rely on
public transportation.
Reduces road congestion
If all Americans who take transit to work drove alone, they would fill a
nine-lane freeway from Boston to Los Angeles.
Public transportation takes cars off the road. According to Maryland DOT’s
estimates, that reduction amounts to 60 cars for a full bus, 12 cars for a
full van, and up to 200 cars for a full commuter rail car. In St. Louis, a
full MetroLink light rail train removes 125 cars from the roads, and the entire
system removes 12,500 cars from daily rush-hour traffic.
|
30,000 passengers can be carried on a single U.S. subway line
in one hour.
10 additional highway lanes would be needed if these riders drove
instead.
|
Reduces travel time
Fewer cars on the road would significantly reduce the commuting time of urban
drivers, who, in 1999, spent an average of 36 hours -- nearly 5 work days
-- in traffic delays. In the 68 urban areas it studied, the Texas Transportation
Institute found that one-third of daily travel occurs under congested conditions.
State-of-the-art public transportation systems are reducing travel times
for the 10 million Americans who use transit each working day, on every mode
of travel.
In Atlanta, travelers and airline workers rely on MARTA rail service
for a 16-minute ride from downtown to Hartsfield International Airport.
San Francisco’s high-speed catamarans have cut travel time for Bay-area
commuters by 30% and have posted a 50% increase in ridership.
In Minneapolis, 155 miles of the freeway system’s bus-only shoulder
lanes speed transit riders and improve traffic flow on adjacent lanes.
In New York City, the 30-year-old Lincoln Tunnel Exclusive Bus Lanes
accommodate 1,700 buses and 60,000 passengers a day.
Connects and extends transportation networks
The most successful systems are those that provide easy-access links within
and among all forms of modern travel—highway, air, water, bus and train.
Across the U.S., multimodal transit systems are reaching greater numbers of
people, providing travelers with optimum choices.
A new downtown bus terminal in Waco, TX, links local, intercity, senior
and rural bus services.
Secaucus Transfer links 11 of Northern New Jersey’s 12 rail lines.
-
Bikes-on-buses programs are successfully linking riders with different
transportation modes. For example, in the San Francisco area, 2,000 bicyclists
commute each day between San Francisco and Silicon Valley on commuter
trains equipped with bike racks. In Phoenix, buses equipped with bike
racks attract more than 1.5 million bicyclists a year.
When intercity bus service is connected to local public transit through an
intermodal terminal, 40% of customers access the service by transit.
Enhances economic opportunity
Public transportation use lowers household expenses and frees up more income
for other needs.
Automobile expenses are considerable:
-
For every dollar earned, the average household spends 18 cents on transportation,
98% of which is for buying,
maintaining and operating cars, the largest source of household debt after
mortgages.
For the poorest households, transportation costs can exceed 35% of income.
Household transportation costs rise in areas with sprawl and few transportation
services.
| Americans who live in transit-intensive areas save $22 billion
each year by using public transportation. This savings can buy
four-year public college educations for half a million students. |
Savings with public transportation are substantial. Americans living in transit-intensive
metropolitan areas save $22 billion annually in transportation costs. Savings
add up for everyone: every $10 million invested in public transportation saves
more than $15 million, for both highway and transit users. This includes savings
of about $1,500 and 200 gallons of gas -- per year. Plus, transit availability
can reduce the need for additional cars, a yearly expense of between $4,800
and $9,700.
Silicon Valley commuters are excellent examples. Riding the Santa Clara Valley
Transit Authority's Altamont Commuter Express, the daily 80-mile commute by
train saves each commuter over $2,500 annually -- $2,688 by train compared
to $5,282 by car.
Benefits to Business and Industry
More than ever before, public transportation is an essential element for
maintaining a vibrant business community and economic climate. In fact, business
leaders are often the driving force behind local efforts to increase public
transportation investment and use.
Generates impressive return on investment
An investment in public transportation translates into significant increases
in business revenues and profits. Every $10 million invested in transit capital
projects yields $30 million in business sales, and the same investment in
transit operations generates $32 million.
In St. Louis, a 25-year transit modernization plan is expected to generate
a $2.3 billion return in business sales.
A 20-year “good-repair” strategy in Chicago would yield an
anticipated $4.6 billion.
Overall, every dollar of public funds invested in transit returns up to $6
in benefits.
Investment in public transportation generates business revenues
Expands labor pool, job accessibility and reliability
Employers around the country are taking advantage of the expanded labor pool
that public transportation provides. Almost half of the nation’s Fortune
500 companies, representing over $2 trillion in annual revenue, are headquartered in America’s transit-intensive metropolitan areas.
Motorola’s new cellular phone plant at the end of Chicago’s
Metra draws on a large labor pool with Metra access.
BellSouth in Atlanta is consolidating all of its suburban offices into
three downtown locations convenient to Atlanta’s MARTA rail system.
In Dallas, proximity to DART was cited as a key factor in the location
decisions of prominent firms.
In addition to enhancing employee recruitment, businesses tied to public
transportation are experiencing more employee reliability and less absenteeism
and turnover.
In Lafayette, IN, businesses in outlying areas help underwrite the cost
of employee bus commutes because of the link to willing workers.
Increased OWL service in Oakland, CA, meets the critical transportation
needs of shift workers.
Public assistance agencies are also using public transportation to help more
people enter the work force.
The FTA’s Job Access and Reverse Commute program provides grants
to support transportation for thousands.
-
Through NJ TRANSIT’s “WorkPass” program, public agencies
provide passes and tickets to welfare recipients for work-related travel.
-
In Myrtle Beach, SC, Pee Dee RTA, in coordination with the County Department
of Social Services, runs a 24-hour-per-day commute service linking rural
residents with entry-level jobs in the city.
The Albuquerque, NM, Transit Department provides reduced-rate, curb-to-curb
subscription services for low-income workers whose jobs are not accessible
by bus.
Helps the bottom line
Businesses that support public transportation options are realizing substantial
savings in several ways. For example:
-
Businesses save on employee time lost to delay, accident and injury on
the road. In 2000, there were 23.8 million accidents involving passenger
cars, light trucks and SUVs; motor vehicle injuries resulted in the loss
of $71.5 billion in wages and productivity.
-
By relieving roadway congestion, public transportation helps speed freight
and commerce. Transit-oriented brownfield
redevelopment in New Jersey is focused on reducing freight travel times
and truck volumes on local roads.
|
Traffic congestion causes an annual loss of $40 billion to U.S. business.
If all U.S. public transportation commuters drove instead, that loss
would increase by over 37%.
|
-
The 1,200 firms that have joined NJ TRANSIT’s “BusinessPass”
program reduce payroll costs and taxes for both the companies and their
employees.
-
Businesses in transit-intensive areas save on land required for parking
and its associated costs. Where public transportation is a factor, the
number of parking spaces required for offices and retail businesses can
be reduced by 30% and 50%, respectively -- saving between $2,000 and $20,000
per parking space.
By lowering vehicle emissions, public transportation can reduce the need
for higher-cost emissions reductions from stationary plants and equipment.
Benefits for Communities and Local
Governments
Increased congestion on the roadways threatens the economic future and
the quality of life for urban residents. Even the extensive public transportation networks already serving many major metropolitan regions are being taxed to
the limit by demand that exceeds their capacity.
Residents and community leaders are recognizing that fully functional, high-capacity,
region-wide public transportation
services are essential to keep America moving.
Communities that invest in public transportation realize enhanced development
and prosperity.
Reduces investment required for expansion of roadway network
Urban rail systems can provide more capacity in a 100-foot
right-of-way than a six-lane freeway, which requires a 300-foot right-of-way.
According to a recent study, public transportation use reduces
roadway-related costs -- traffic enforcement, emergency services, right-of-way
acquisition -- by an estimated $1 billion to $1.7 billion per year. From 1980
to 1994, it is estimated that Atlanta’s MARTA system saved $2.2 billion
by providing motorists with a public transportation alternative.
That’s significant for cities throughout the U.S. The
Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) estimates that an average of 64 more
lane miles (27 miles of freeway plus 37 miles of principal arterial streets)
is needed to meet a single year’s increase in traffic in the cities it
studied.
Creates and sustains jobs
Every $1 billion invested in public transportation infrastructure
supports approximately 47,500 jobs, proving that transit continues to be an
economic engine and job creator. Here are some examples of how public transportation
helps create and sustain jobs:
-
In San Diego, nearly 7,000 workers would be stranded without transit.
Their direct contribution to the local economy is $140 million, and their
spending supports an additional 3,200 jobs.
Riders on southern Illinois’ RIDES program, which serves 11 counties,
contribute a combined payroll of over $1 million per year to this rural
area.
-
Since its inception in 1999, the Guaranteed Ride Home Program run by Outreach,
Inc., the Santa Clara Valley (CA) Transportation Authority’s paratransit
agency, has enrolled over 1,700 participants and provided more than 47,900
rides to work.
Helps revitalize business districts and activity centers
Developers in places as diverse as northern Virginia, Portland, San Diego,
Denver, Chicago, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Dallas, St. Louis, northern New Jersey
and New York are investing millions in corporate buildings, sports facilities
and entertainment complexes around transitstations.
-
Transit villages like those in South Orange, NJ, and North Hollywood,
CA, are becoming hubs for new business
and cultural activities.
-
The Washington Metro has generated nearly $15 billion in surrounding
private development. Between 1980 and 1990 alone, 40% of the region’s
retail and office space was built within walking distance of a Metro station.
-
St. Louis’ MetroLink system has sparked the construction of the
$5.8 million Jackie Joyner Kersee Sports Complex, the $60 million Performing
Arts Center, and the $266 million Convention Center Hotel. The Busch Stadium
station provides access to the $646 million Ballpark Village, the largest
single development in St. Louis’ history.
State-of-the-art regional public transportation systems in Atlanta and
Salt Lake City were essential to those cities’ successful Olympics
bids.
Helps increase tax base and public revenues
The $32 billion U.S. public transportation industry generates up to a 6-to-1
net return on investment -- which translates
into higher revenues for cities and states.
-
Between 1994 and 1998, the increase in the taxable value of properties
located near Dallas’ DART rail stations was 25% more than elsewhere
in the metropolitan area.
Through 2010, Washington’s Metrorail system will generate $2.1 billion
in tax revenues for the Commonwealth of Virginia, exceeding the amount
of projected public investment.
Benefits for Public Programs and Community Services
Public transportation produces savings in public programs and services
such as human services, healthcare and education.
Roadway-related costs
A recent study estimates that transit use reduces roadway-related costs --
traffic enforcement, emergency services, right-of-way acquisition -- by as
much as $1 billion to $1.7 billion per year.
Human services
According to a recent study, savings to social programs from transit use
may be as high as $1.3 billion to $2 billion per year. Human services-oriented
transit programs can be found in communities around the country.
Clallam Transit in Port Angeles, WA, coordinates services with 14 other
agencies to reduce transportation costs of public programs.
CitiLink in Ft. Wayne, IN, joined a consortium of human service agencies
in the Community Transportation Network to meet local needs at a lower
cost.
The Los Angeles LAMTA underwrites transit travel and taxi vouchers for
clients of 600 Los Angeles social service agencies.
Healthcare
The availability of public transportation can reduce costly duplication in
transportation services. This helps agencies avoid medical institutionalization
of the indigent andassociated public costs, reduce demand for more expensive
and oversubscribed paratransit services, provide an option to the costly use
of ambulance and EMS services, and relieve other public agencies of transportation
responsibility, thereby increasing their productivity.
-
In 1998, Medicare paid for nearly 4.8 million ambulance trips at an average
one-way cost of almost $525 per trip. The same trip on public transportation
would be much less. The average one-way trip cost for rural public transportation
providers is less than $10.
-
In Florida, the use of Metro Dade transit passes saves the Dade County
Medicaid agency over $500,000 a month and gives Medicaid clients unlimited
travel for $1 a month.
Public transportation reduces health-care costs in other ways as well. Maryland
estimates that public transportation saves $70 million annually in air pollution-related
health costs by reducing vehicle emissions.
Education
Approximately 12% of public transportation users are en route to schools
of various types; and school districts, educators and concerned parents are
finding that greater reliance on expanded public transportation services helps
improve educational systems. Across the country, “Unlimited Access”
transit pass programs at 35 universities provide free, system-wide service
to 825,000 college students, faculty and staff, expanding access, reducing
auto-related expenditures, and saving universities millions.
Salt Lake City, UT’s University TRAX LRT line serves 46,000 students
and faculty, relieving campus congestion and reducing university parking
costs.
The Worcestor, MA, Regional Transit Authority connects 26 training facilities
and two GED test centers, as well as 26 major employers and 24 child-care
facilities.
-
In Duluth, MN, the U-Pass program allows access to the TA system, easing
parking costs and congestion at three area colleges and universities.
In addition, many public transportation agencies and educational institutions
-- in areas such as Waukegan, IL, Orlando, FL, Syracuse and Albany, NY, Madison,
WI, and Flint, MI -- have established cost-saving partnerships.
More access for children and young adults
The need for increased access and mobility also ties into the emerging lifestyle
needs of children and young adults. As their activities become more extensive
and widespread, public transportation plays an increasingly important role
in linking young Americans to the larger community.
| By the year 2020, 40% of the U.S. population will be senior citizens;
many will be unable to drive. |
Mobility for seniors
By 2020, 40% of the U.S. population will be older adults; many will be unable
to drive. In fact, one-fourth of today’s 75+ age group does not drive.
Meeting the transportation needs of seniors is a major community objective
as well as a national goal. Public transportation and related travel options
represent a lifeline for older adults, linking them with family, friends and
a changing society. Mini-buses in Miami, for example, serve areas with unique
geography and character, connecting residents with critical neighborhood facilities
and services.
A vital link for citizens with disabilities
Over 54 million Americans have disabilities. Nearly 35% say they are uninvolved
in their communities, and the lack of effective transportation options contributes
to an unemployment rate of approximately 75%.
Nearly 85% of today’s public transportation vehicles are accessible
to people with disabilities. However, to ensure that disabled persons remain
actively involved in their communities, maintain productive roles in the economy,
and have access to the full range of facilities and services needed to lead
enjoyable and productive lives, the reach of public transportation to this
population needs to be broadened.
Supports diversity
In a world with fewer and fewer boundaries, Americans’ travel needs
are increasingly diverse. Transit services are becoming more agile and responsive,
providing extraordinary value and benefit for a wide range of lifestyles.
Benefits for Metropolitan America and
Small Urban and Rural Areas
The broad-based benefits of public transportation are most obvious in
metropolitan America. However, public transportation is equally important
to the nation’s small urban communities and rural areas. In the last
three years, ridership for small urban and rural public transportation systems
in all 50 states has jumped 15%.
Preserving small urban and rural communities
Small urban communities throughout the country are symbols of fundamental
American values -- a hard work ethic, self-reliance, mutual support, creativity,
innovation -- as well as emerging focal points for today’s economy. In
light of the fact that nearly 10% of all households in small urban areas are
without a car, the freedom, mobility and access that public transportation
services provide in these settings are key ingredients in sustaining their
character.
-
In Des Moines, IA, the MTA’s downtown loop shuttle and an 1,800-space
park-and-ride lot have increased mobility, reduced congestion and enhanced
access to the downtown area.
-
The Huntington, WV, downtown Intermodal Transportation Facility combines
access to local and interstate buses, taxis, bicycles and private cars.
-
In South Carolina, the 43 member agencies of the Chesterfield County
Coordinating Council share vehicles on fixed-route and dial-a-ride services
and allow adults to ride school buses.
In Lebanon, NH, 65% of the riders on Advance Transit services are commuters
going to work.
Providing access for rural areas
Public transportation is equally important to America’s rural heartland,
where 40% of residents have no access to public transportation services and
another 28% have negligible access. Transportation service is vital for rural
America’s 30 million non-drivers, who include senior citizens, low-income
families, and people with disabilities.
In rural Illinois, RIDES coordinates transportation needs for clients
of 80 agencies to meet job, service and training needs.
The Sweetwater Transit Authority in Wyoming helps 44,000 residents in
a 10,000-square-mile service area reach work sites.
In the Robertsdale, AL, region, the Baldwin Rural Area Transit System
(BRATS) provides more than 400,000 trips per year.
| Transportation service is vital for rural America’s 30 million
non-drivers. |
The Benefits of Partnership and Collaboration
Many of the benefits of public transportation are economic, both direct
and indirect, with a real dollar value.
In recent years, government and private-sector groups have
formed true partnerships to fund public transportation—
partnerships in which investment decisions, such as transit-oriented developments
that create livable communities,
are increasingly based on a clear sense of the benefits that can be realized.
Successful in getting new-start systems off the ground, as well as in funding
expansions and upgrades, these investments
have taken many forms, including:
More direct public funding for transit and related improvements by federal,
state and local agencies
More public funding for other public services -- education, health, human
services -- to support partnerships with public transportation agencies
The leveraging of private funds to support public transit facilities,
services and surrounding development
The introduction of effective incentives for shifting public and private
investment to transit
Many of the benefits of public transportation are economic, both
direct and indirect, with a real dollar value.
In recent years, government and private-sector groups have formed true
partnerships to fund public transportation — partnerships in which investment
decisions, such as transitoriented developments that create livable
communities, are increasingly based on a clear sense of the benefits
that can be realized.
Successful in getting new-start systems off the ground, as well as
in funding expansions and upgrades, these investments have taken many
forms, including:
More direct public funding for transit and related improvements by federal,
state and local agencies
More public funding for other public services—education, health, human
services—to support partnerships with public transportation agencies
The leveraging of private funds to support public transit facilities,
services and surrounding development
The introduction of effective incentives for shifting public and private
investment to transit
Primary Sources
The facts and figures used in this report have been compiled
from a variety of sources, including:
American Association of State Highway and Transportation
Officials, American Public Transportation Association, TEA 21 in Action:
Money at Work, October 2001
American Public Transportation Association, 2001 Public
Transportation Fact Book, March 2001
American Public Transportation Association, Passenger
Transport, weekly
American Public Transportation Association, America Under
Threat: Transit Responds to Terrorism, September 11, 2001
American Public Transportation Association, Transit Means
Business, 2001
Bay Area Rapid Transit System website, www.bart.gov
CalTrain website, www.caltrain.com
Cambridge Systematics, Inc., Public Transportation and
the Nation’s Economy, October 1999
Center for Urban Transportation Research, University of
South Florida, Lessons Learned in Transit Efficiencies, Revenue Generation
and Cost Reduction, 1997
Campaign for Efficient Passenger Transportation, Dollars
and Sense: The Economic Case for Public Transportation in America, June
1997
Community Transportation Association of America, Linking
People to the Workplace, January 2001
Community Transportation Association of America, Medical
Transportation: Toolkit and Best Practices, 2001
Community Transportation Association of America, Community
Transportation–The State of Medical Transportation 2002: Researching
the Benefits of Medicare Transportation, John Burkhardt and Adam McGavock,
Medical Issue 2002, Vol. 20, No.1.
Federal Highway Administration, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy,
Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals, Improving Conditions
for Bicycling and Walking, January 1998
Federal Highway Administration, Moving Ahead: The American
Public Speaks on Roads and Transportation in Communities, 2001
Federal Transit Administration, 1996 Report, An Update,
1996
Federal Transit Administration website, www.fta.dot.gov
Free Congress Foundation, Twelve Anti-Transit Myths:
A Conservative Critique, July 2001
Maryland Department of Transportation, The Future of
Transit in Maryland, January 1999
National Cooperative Highway Research Program, Positive
Benefits of Transportation Investment, 2002
National Organization on Disability website, www.nod.org
National Transportation Safety Council, Injury Facts,
2001
Robert J. Shapiro, Kevin A. Haasett and Frank S. Arnold,
Conserving Energy and Preserving the Environment, July 2002
Sierra Club website, www.sierraclub.org
Surface Transportation Policy Project, Driven to Spend:
The Impact of Sprawl on Household Transportation Expenses, 2000
Surface Transportation Policy Project, Easing the Burden,
May 2001
Surface Transportation Policy Project, Ten Years of Progress:
Building Better Communities Through Transportation, 2001
Texas Transportation Institute, 2001 Annual Urban Mobility
Report, 2001
Transit Cooperative Research Program, Report 20, Measuring
and Valuing Transit Benefits and Disbenefits, 1996
Transit Cooperative Research Program, Report 22, The
Role of Transit in Creating Livable Metropolitan Communities, 1997
Transit Cooperative Research Program, Report 49, Using
Public Transportation to Reduce the Economic, Social and Human Costs of Immobility,
1999
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website, www.os.dhhs.gov
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Air Now website, www.epa.gov/airnow/
U.S. Conference of Mayors, National Poll Shows Strong
Public Support for Rail Investment, 2001
Urban Land Institute website, www.uli.org
Utah Transit Authority website, www.rideuta.com
Research: Cambridge Systematics Inc.
Editing, design and production: Reichman Frankle Inc.
Second Edition, September 2002
Some of these pages may include links to documents in the Adobe PDF format. Please download the Adobe PDF reader if you have not already done so.
