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 five years alone, public transportation use has risen 21 percent—faster than vehicle miles traveled on our roadways and airline passenger miles logged over the same period. In 2000, Americans used public transportation 9.4 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 elderly 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 transit agency or APTA.