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Green Initiatives

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 2019, Americans took 9.9 billion trips on public transportation.
  • 34 million times each weekday, people board public transportation.
  • Public transportation is a $80 billion industry that employs more than 448,000 people.
  • Approximately 6,800 organizations provide public transportation in the United States.
  • 45% of Americans have no access to public transportation.
  • Millennials consider public transportation as the best option for digital socializing and among the best for connecting with communities.
  • Long-term investment in public transit supports 50,000 jobs and $382 million in tax revenue per $1 billion invested.
  • A total of 87 percent of trips on transit directly benefit the local economy.
  • A total of 84 percent less CO2 emissions by using the subway rather than a car.
  • The public transportation industry is a leader in clean technology, with the share of hybrid electric buses jumping from seven percent in 2010 to 18.8 percent in 2020.
  • Cities with more than 40 annual public transit trips per person have one-half the traffic fatality rate of those with fewer than 20 trips per person.

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 Provides Economic Opportunities

  • ​Every $1 invested in public transportation generates $5 in economic returns.
  • Every $1 billion invested in public transportation supports and creates approximately 50,000 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.
  • An estimated $39 billion of public transit expenditures flow into the private sector.
  • Home values were up to 24% higher near public transportation than in other areas. Hotels in cities with direct rail access to airports raise 11% more revenue per room than hotels in those cities without.

Public Transportation Reduces Gas Consumption and Carbon Footprint

  • ​Public transportation’s overall effects save the United States 6 billion gallons of gasoline annually.
  • Communities that invest in public transit reduce the nation’s carbon emissions by 63 million metric tons annually.

Public Transportation is a safer way to travel than by automobile

  • Traveling by public transportation is 10 times safer per mile than traveling by automobile.
  • A person can reduce his or her chance of being in an accident by more than 90% simply by taking public transit as opposed to commuting by car.

Public Transportation Saves Money

  • T​he average household spends 16 cents of every dollar on transportation, and 93% of this goes to buying, maintaining, and operating cars, the largest expenditure after housing.
  • A household can save nearly $10,000 by taking public transportation and living with one less car.

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