THE BENEFITS OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
While transit clearly benefits those who use it, even larger benefits accrue to all citizens in the form of economic development, reduced congestion, more livable communities and cleaner air.

STIMULATES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

• A transit coalition report, “Dollars & Sense: The Economic Case for Public Transportation in America,” found that every dollar taxpayers invest in public transportation generates $6 or more in economic returns.
• Every $10 million in capital investment in public transportation yields $30 million in increased sales.
• Every $10 million in operating investment yields $32 million in increased sales.

SAVES MONEY

• It’s more cost efficient to use public transportation, particularly in business and urban areas.
• For every $10 million invested in public transportation, more than $15 million is saved in transportation costs to both highway and public transportation users.
• According to the American Automobile Association, the estimated cost of driving a single-occupant vehicle is between $4,826 (for a small car) and $9,685 (for a large car), depending upon mileage. By contrast, the annual average cost for public transportation for one adult ranges from $200 to $2,000, depending upon mileage, time of day, type of vehicle or service.

CREATES JOBS

• In addition to the 370,000 people directly employed by public transportation systems, thousands of others are employed in related support services (i.e., engineering, manufacturing, construction, retail, etc.).
• For every $10 million invested in capital projects for public transportation, more than 300 jobs and a $30 million gain in sales for business are realized.

GETS PEOPLE TO WORK

• Public transportation is key to moving former welfare recipients into the workforce as permanent wage earners. An estimated 94 percent of welfare recipients attempting to move into the workforce do not own cars and rely on public transportation.
• The current $75 million federal “Access To Jobs” initiative provides grants to transit service providers to help low income residents get to work by providing transportation choices.
• Another $500 million for these programs is guaranteed by law for a five-year period.
• Public transportation provides valuable options for suburban commuters who work in the city. In fact, the average annual income of rail commuters is more than $50,000 and most own two cars.

EASES TRAFFIC CONGESTION

• Nearly half of all Americans believe traffic is a serious problem where they live. Most (57 percent) do not feel their commute will improve over the next three years, and nearly a quarter expect to spend more time commuting.
• According to the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), car drivers spent more than 40 hours last year stuck in traffic in one-third of the cities studied.
• Half the drivers spent the same amount of time stuck in traffic as they did on vacation, according to the same TTI study. These findings apply to small, medium and large cities.
• Public transportation helps to alleviate our nation’s crowded network of roads by providing transportation choices.
• Without transportation choices, there would be 64,413 more cars on the road in New Orleans, 167,061 more cars on San Diego roads, and 2,610,280 more cars on New York City roads, according to the Sierra Club.
• In Portland, Oregon, a study by the Sierra Club showed that when more transportation options are offered, people use their cars less, thereby cutting traffic by 6 percent and traffic delays by 66 percent.

FOSTERS MORE LIVABLE COMMUNITIES

• Public transportation facilities and corridors are natural focal points for economic and social activities. These activities help create strong neighborhood centers that are more economically stable, safe and productive.
• Studies have shown that the ability to travel in an area conveniently, without a car, is an important component of a community’s livability.
• Public transportation provides opportunity, access, choice and freedom, all of which contribute to an improved quality of life.
• For example, Salt Lake City’s new TRAX system has achieved nearly 20,000 daily riders since 1999 (41 percent of whom are new to transit), thereby helping to revitalize the downtown area by attracting new businesses, a community center, ice-skating rink and amphitheater.

BOOSTS REAL ESTATE VALUES

• Public transportation fuels local development and in turn has a positive impact on local property values.
• Studies have shown greater increases in the value of properties located near public transportation systems than in similar properties not located near public TRANSPORTATION.

IMPROVES AIR QUALITY

• Public transportation helps promote cleaner air by reducing automobile use, which can exacerbate smog and public health problems.
• • Each year, public transportation use avoids the emission of more than 126 million pounds of hydrocarbons, a primary cause of smog, and 156 million pounds of nitrogen oxides, which can cause respiratory disease.
• • For each mile traveled, fewer pollutants are emitted by transit vehicles than by a single-passenger automobile. (Buses emit 80 percent less carbon monoxide than a car; rail, almost none.)
• • According to the Sierra Club, 7 of the 12 cities with the highest grades for low car and truck smog per person (New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento and Washington, DC) are located in the states that spend the most on clean transportation choices, demonstrating the power of public transit as a tool to combat air pollution.

REDUCES ENERGY CONSUMPTION

• Public transportation can significantly reduce dependency on gasoline, reducing auto fuel consumption by 1.5 billion gallons annually.
• For example, a person who commutes 60 miles each way daily could save an estimated 1,888 gallons of gasoline every year by switching from using a car to using public transportation.
• Many U.S. transit systems are continuing to invest in compressed natural gas, low-sulfur burning buses or diesel-electric hybrid buses.

ENSURES SAFETY

• Public transportation continues to be one of the safest modes of travel in the United States.
• Riding a transit bus is 91 times safer than car travel. By train, passengers are 15 times safer.
• Every major public transportation system participates in annual safety audit programs that examine all areas of operation.
• Transit vehicle operators are highly trained to anticipate and avoid problems. Most transit vehicles are larger, newer and more substantial than autos or vans.

ENHANCES MOBILITY DURING EMERGENCIES

• During many types of crises, both natural and man-made, people rely on public transportation.
• On September 11, 2001, the New York-New Jersey Port Authority transit systems moved people safely away from the Twin Towers disaster.
• Public transportation systems have operated around the clock to transport firefighters to the sites of wildfires; to evacuate nursing homes and hospitals; to move people to safety during storms; and to bring out-of-town police and rescue workers from the airport.
• In January 2003, the worst ice storm ever to hit the Carolinas left millions without power, leaving citizens to scramble to find whatever means of warmth they could. Temporary shelters opened across the city of Charlotte, and the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) stepped in to transport a large amount of people to these warm locations.