Study Shows Rising Use of Public Transportation
March 9th, 2009 at 11:55 am - by Tom Prout
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) today published the results of a study that shows public transportation use in the US is at its highest rate in 50 years. Experts are attributing the increase to a combination of the current financial crisis and erratic oil prices last year.
According to APTA, the number of trips taken increased 4 percent from 2007, totaling over 10.7 million last year: the highest annually since 1952. The rising use of public transportation is a trend that has been occurring over the past 5 years, analysts have said, and it is speculated that in part the latest ‘go green’ initiative is encouraging commuters, 60% of public transit users, to seek out more environmentally friendly alternatives.
The statistics are similar across all modes of public transportation, including buses, subways, and commuter rail. The decision to switch has resulted in a decline in highway travel, some 108 billion miles, 3.6 less in 2008 than 2007, though experts with APTA have suggested that commuter travel will reduce overall with the soaring unemployment levels in 2009.
Should the financial crisis be the cause of the changing transportation trends, public transit is arguably a more economical option in areas with efficient transit infrastructure, said Morgan Lyons, a spokesman for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit: “People who were used to driving did the math and figured they could buy a monthly pass [$50] for less than a tank of gas,”.
Fiscal responsibility has become more prevalent following the increase of gas prices to a record $4 per gallon in the US last July, and many are reluctant to switch back to driving, as the study shows.
