Here you’ll find easy to use tools for effective communications with Members of Congress, key community leaders, business leaders and other activists about the importance of increasing local, state and federal investment in public transportation.
 

  1. Increased investment in transit will stimulate the economy, create jobs and provide greater access to employment, education, and medical and social services.

    1. Every dollar taxpayers invest in public transportation generates from $4 to $9 in economic returns.
    2. Every $1 billion invested in public transportation infrastructure supports approximately 47,500 jobs.

  2. Growing traffic congestion and perpetual gridlock is a top concern of Americans across the country.

    1. Each American traveling during peak periods wastes, on average, 47 hours a year in traffic congestion.
    2. In 2003, public transportation in America's most congested cities saved travelers 1.1 billion hours in travel time.

  3. Increased investment in public transportation helps reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil.

    1. Each year, public transportation use in the U.S. saves 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline. This represents almost 4 million gallons of gasoline per day.

    2. Each year, public transportation use saves the equivalent of 34 supertankers of oil, or a supertanker leaving the Middle East every 11 days.

    3. Each year, public transportation use save the equivalent of 140,769 service station tanker truck trips clogging our streets each year.

    4. Public transportation use saves the equivalent of 300,000 fewer automobile fill-ups every day.

    5. The typical public transit rider consumes on average one half of the oil consumed by an automobile rider.

  4. State and local governments cannot finance essential improvements in their public transportation systems alone.

    1. The growth of public transportation nationwide has relied on federal investment since its earliest days.

  5. Investment is public transportation is benefiting America.

    1. SAFETEA-LU has prompted expanded investment, new local transit projects, expansion and improvement to service, and innovations in financing, building and operating transportation facilities.

  6. Today more than 10.1 billion trips are taken on public transportation each year in the U.S., an increase of 30 percent since 1995.

    1. This growth rate is faster than growth in vehicle miles traveled on our roadways and airline passenger miles logged over the same period.
    2. Public transportation investment is not keeping pace with the growing demand.


  7. To meet the increasing demands being placed on transit systems throughout the country, Congress will need to increase the annual federal transit program.