2001 URBAN TRANSPORT DATA: 230 US METROPOLITAN AREAS
Public Transport Operating Costs per Passenger Mile by
Metropolitan Area: 2001: Compared to Auto Costs
(Excludes Capital Costs and Debt Service: Note Below)

OPERATING COST PER PASSENGER MILE (EXCLUDES CAPITAL COSTS AND DEBT SERVICE)  
Alphabetical Listing          
             
Rank Metropolitan Area Operating Costs (2001) Passenger Miles Cost per Passenger Mile Inclusion of Capital Costs Would Result in Higher Relative Costs due to Rail System Compared to Full Cost of Driving
34 Abilene $895 1,934,657 $0.463   115.5%
149 Albany $35,530 42,575,172 $0.835   288.9%
48 Albany, GA $1,401 2,680,001 $0.523   143.5%
143 Albuquerque $21,193 26,107,650 $0.812   278.2%
67 Alexandria, LA $1,666 2,910,463 $0.573   166.8%
94 Allentown $9,882 15,605,646 $0.633   195.0%
200 Altoona $2,838 2,337,484 $1.214   465.8%
212 Amarillo $1,773 1,217,862 $1.456   578.5%
132 Anchorage $11,719 14,983,880 $0.782   264.4%
158 Appleton $6,139 6,961,654 $0.882   310.9%
102 Asheville $2,403 3,622,260 $0.663   209.1%
106 Athens, FA $2,111 3,052,768 $0.691   222.1%
12 Atlanta $333,540 870,293,675 $0.383 YES 78.6%
214 Auburn $141 88,995 $1.579   636.0%
100 Augusta $2,650 4,051,516 $0.654   204.8%
99 Austin $69,270 106,167,220 $0.652   204.0%
28 Bakersfield $13,768 30,662,286 $0.449   109.2%
31 Bangor $875 1,912,871 $0.457   113.1%
56 Baton Rouge $11,371 20,795,269 $0.547   154.8%
52 Beaumont $3,552 6,716,911 $0.529   146.4%
162 Bellingham $7,492 8,374,090 $0.895   316.9%
217 Benton Harbor $174 104,865 $1.659   673.1%
198 Billings $2,378 1,985,333 $1.198   458.1%
125 Biloxi $2,679 3,532,154 $0.758   253.4%
35 Binghampton $5,754 12,368,419 $0.465   116.8%
176 Birmingham $12,475 12,975,673 $0.961   348.0%
181 Bloomington, IL $2,497 2,570,371 $0.971   352.7%
41 Bloomington, IN $2,949 5,985,288 $0.493   129.6%
160 Boise $4,394 4,954,340 $0.887   313.2%
20 Boston $763,944 1,866,154,235 $0.409 YES 90.7%
2 Brownsville $3,627 13,857,372 $0.262   21.9%
167 Buffalo $69,958 76,581,527 $0.914 YES 325.7%
145 Burlington, VT $3,945 4,796,372 $0.822   283.2%
227 Canton $10,378 4,019,740 $2.582   1102.9%
193 Cedar Rapids $4,774 4,207,395 $1.135   428.7%
32 Champaign-Urbana $12,532 27,391,802 $0.458   113.2%
130 Charleston $7,084 9,122,881 $0.776   261.8%
57 Charleston, SC $8,896 16,204,520 $0.549   155.8%
55 Charlotte $36,579 67,149,479 $0.545   153.8%
173 Charlottesville $3,248 3,456,109 $0.940   337.9%
134 Chattanooga $8,387 10,684,650 $0.785   265.7%
190 Cheyenne $444 414,087 $1.073   400.1%
16 Chicago $1,417,103 3,654,662,503 $0.388 YES 80.7%
38 Chico $1,454 3,040,586 $0.478   122.9%
24 Cincinnati $76,793 174,494,159 $0.440   105.1%
46 Clarksville $1,660 3,191,738 $0.520   142.4%
144 Cleveland $244,387 297,810,344 $0.821 YES 282.4%
215 College Station $1,279 800,856 $1.597   644.1%
70 Colorado Springs $7,397 12,879,235 $0.574   167.6%
146 Columbia $4,813 5,847,866 $0.823   283.5%
185 Columbia, MO $1,921 1,861,956 $1.032   380.8%
165 Columbus $67,437 74,238,509 $0.908   323.3%
120 Columbus, GA $2,719 3,661,552 $0.743   246.1%
18 Corpus Christi $11,949 30,105,054 $0.397   84.9%
85 Dallas-Fort Worth $270,101 441,767,781 $0.611 YES 184.9%
226 Danville $652 257,248 $2.536   1081.6%
172 Davenport-Moline $11,765 12,580,877 $0.935   335.8%
156 Dayton $45,101 52,675,090 $0.856   299.0%
42 Daytona Beach $8,150 16,442,216 $0.496   131.0%
191 Decatur $2,702 2,383,041 $1.134   428.2%
71 Denver $222,619 386,470,151 $0.576 YES 168.4%
133 Des Moines $10,418 13,311,962 $0.783   264.7%
163 Detroit $273,729 305,392,621 $0.896   317.6%
170 Duluth $8,610 9,340,403 $0.922   329.5%
121 Eau Claire $2,702 3,616,962 $0.747   248.1%
11 El Paso $25,233 66,125,755 $0.382   77.8%
202 Elmira $3,701 2,917,577 $1.269   491.1%
159 Erie $6,890 7,781,940 $0.885   312.5%
107 Eugene $21,407 30,954,161 $0.692   222.2%
182 Evansville $3,981 3,934,266 $1.012   371.5%
186 Fargo $2,377 2,257,633 $1.053   390.5%
17 Fayetteville $837 2,132,233 $0.392   82.9%
168 Fayetteville $2,819 3,071,002 $0.918   327.7%
3 Florence $1,042 3,560,250 $0.293   36.3%
142 Fort Collins $4,349 5,360,560 $0.811   278.0%
93 Fort Myers $8,011 12,774,171 $0.627   192.2%
199 Fort Wayne $5,476 4,512,758 $1.213   465.4%
45 Fresno $23,802 46,208,116 $0.515   140.0%
69 Gainesville 8,458.9 14,759,000 $0.573   167.1%
58 Glens Falls $770 1,393,197 $0.553   157.7%
96 Grand Forks $1,154 1,815,616 $0.636   196.2%
206 Grand Junction $1,994 1,494,125 $1.334   521.8%
180 Grand Rapids $17,847 18,373,790 $0.971   352.6%
219 Great Falls $1,790 973,300 $1.839   757.0%
166 Green Bay $4,624 5,069,757 $0.912   325.0%
137 Greensboro $13,587 17,150,790 $0.792   269.1%
66 Greenville $2,974 5,252,301 $0.566   163.9%
201 Harrisburg $11,638 9,401,282 $1.238   476.8%
65 Hartford $37,823 66,921,567 $0.565   163.4%
4 Honolulu $112,701 351,624,017 $0.321   49.3%
123 Houma $772 1,028,952 $0.750   249.5%
5 Houston $191,062 588,817,409 $0.324   51.2%
150 Huntington $3,244 3,882,920 $0.835   289.3%
147 Huntsville $1,198 1,452,668 $0.825   284.2%
225 Idaho Falls $239 102,960 $2.317   979.6%
81 Indianapolis $29,755 49,880,086 $0.597   178.0%
108 Iowa City $4,372 6,295,904 $0.694   223.5%
188 Ithaca $6,177 5,801,899 $1.065   396.1%
105 Jackson $1,622 2,364,775 $0.686   219.6%
116 Jackson $1,408 1,920,738 $0.733   241.5%
230 Jackson $3,331 1,180,156 $2.823   1215.2%
89 Jacksonville $32,414 52,200,049 $0.621   189.3%
197 Janesville $3,140 2,641,662 $1.189   453.8%
203 Johnson City, TN, VA $1,417 1,106,110 $1.281   496.8%
152 Johnstown $4,344 5,157,678 $0.842   292.4%
178 Kalamazoo $8,745 9,049,114 $0.966   350.3%
157 Kansas City $52,090 59,295,499 $0.878   309.3%
220 Killeen $1,026 541,365 $1.895   782.9%
205 Knowville $8,589 6,452,162 $1.331   520.3%
183 La Crosse $2,888 2,840,237 $1.017   373.9%
15 Lafayette $4,901 12,657,548 $0.387   80.4%
21 Lafayette $2,036 4,732,035 $0.430   100.5%
131 Lakeland $4,329 5,559,946 $0.779   262.8%
83 Lancaster $5,501 9,043,045 $0.608   183.5%
129 Lansing $17,421 22,481,582 $0.775   261.1%
8 Laredo $7,393 21,524,492 $0.343   60.0%
61 Las Cruces $1,271 2,278,726 $0.558   159.8%
7 Las Vegas $59,018 172,458,517 $0.342   59.5%
213 Lewiston $455 301,500 $1.508   602.9%
51 Lexington $6,089 11,564,848 $0.526   145.3%
112 Lincoln $5,502 7,778,376 $0.707   229.6%
64 Little Rock $8,547 15,206,670 $0.562   161.9%
60 Logan $1,154 2,072,815 $0.557   159.3%
114 Longview $1,090 1,528,165 $0.713   232.3%
25 Los Angeles $1,254,105 2,821,265,741 $0.445 YES 107.1%
122 Louisville $40,460 54,119,130 $0.748   248.4%
9 Lubbock $5,196 14,819,192 $0.351   63.4%
39 Lychburg $2,866 5,992,705 $0.478   122.9%
154 Madison $28,637 33,888,651 $0.845   293.8%
184 Mansfield $985 954,392 $1.032   380.7%
208 McAllen $1,260 930,153 $1.355   531.3%
224 Medford $3,082 1,496,685 $2.060   859.7%
177 Melbourne $2,007 2,087,376 $0.961   348.0%
49 Memphis $33,849 64,540,014 $0.524   144.4%
194 Merced $2,451 2,132,154 $1.149   435.6%
43 Miami $303,106 605,691,170 $0.500 YES 133.2%
76 Milwaukee $128,162 217,121,495 $0.590   175.0%
90 Minneapolis-St. Paul $212,105 341,547,227 $0.621   189.4%
110 Missoula $1,949 2,786,532 $0.699   225.9%
75 Mobile $3,881 6,646,354 $0.584   172.1%
27 Modesto $5,848 13,126,148 $0.446   107.6%
14 Monroe $2,155 5,601,840 $0.385   79.3%
47 Monterrey $13,235 25,336,652 $0.522   143.4%
229 Montgomery $1,984 705,982 $2.810   1209.4%
187 Muncie $3,861 3,644,805 $1.059   393.6%
119 Myrtle Beach $2,224 2,995,384 $0.743   246.0%
88 Nashville $21,201 34,219,649 $0.620   188.7%
211 New London $20,609 14,865,084 $1.386   546.0%
84 New Orleans $102,819 168,922,808 $0.609 YES 183.6%
10 New York $7,213,408 18,923,850,316 $0.381 YES 77.6%
141 Ocala $833 1,036,670 $0.804   274.5%
101 Oklahoma City $11,957 18,043,158 $0.663   208.8%
179 Omaha $14,325 14,798,026 $0.968   351.1%
26 Orlando $50,406 113,317,718 $0.445   107.3%
210 Panama City $256 186,968 $1.369   538.0%
216 Parkersburg $1,154 704,875 $1.638   663.1%
127 Pensacola $5,223 6,836,366 $0.764   256.0%
103 Peoria $7,743 11,409,623 $0.679   216.2%
44 Philadelphia $751,794 1,463,131,875 $0.514 YES 139.4%
161 Phoenix $132,361 149,112,502 $0.888   313.6%
91 Pittsburgh $235,323 376,486,029 $0.625 YES 191.2%
6 Pocatello $641 1,944,984 $0.329   53.5%
164 Portland $3,997 4,408,450 $0.907   322.4%
59 Portland $225,084 405,414,272 $0.555 YES 158.7%
195 Providence $48,497 41,480,597 $1.169   444.8%
135 Pueblo $2,222 2,822,032 $0.787   266.9%
113 Raleigh-Durham $26,667 37,593,924 $0.709   230.5%
97 Rapid City $423 658,750 $0.642   199.3%
169 Reading $5,449 5,927,593 $0.919   328.3%
73 Redding $2,190 3,776,061 $0.580   170.3%
87 Reno $16,497 26,765,627 $0.616   187.2%
13 Richland $7,576 19,765,690 $0.383   78.6%
74 Richmond $25,685 44,079,846 $0.583   171.5%
63 Roanoke $4,199 7,518,956 $0.558   160.2%
171 Rochester $35,364 37,826,983 $0.935   335.6%
79 Rochester $2,607 4,394,070 $0.593   176.4%
92 Rockford $5,591 8,916,249 $0.627   192.2%
86 Sacramento $91,805 149,246,025 $0.615 YES 186.6%
218 Saginaw $7,859 4,661,071 $1.686   685.6%
115 Salt Lake City $95,035 129,807,216 $0.732 YES 241.1%
111 San Angelo $849 1,204,280 $0.705   228.4%
22 San Antonio $76,221 175,049,481 $0.435   102.9%
23 San Diego $146,316 335,689,804 $0.436 YES 103.1%
40 San Francisco $1,435,921 2,947,519,887 $0.487 YES 127.0%
1 San Luis Obispo $1,663 8,131,285 $0.204   -4.7%
30 Santa Barbara $14,586 32,056,097 $0.455   112.0%
221 Santa Fe $3,857 1,968,872 $1.959   812.8%
72 Sarasota $7,623 13,182,288 $0.578   169.5%
140 Savannah $9,464 11,798,643 $0.802   273.7%
98 Scranton $8,255 12,749,469 $0.647   201.7%
95 Seattle $464,252 731,429,930 $0.635   195.8%
209 Sheboygan $2,969 2,178,567 $1.363   535.1%
36 Shreveport $6,936 14,785,639 $0.469   118.6%
50 Sioux City $2,216 4,219,740 $0.525   144.7%
174 Sioux Falls $2,393 2,542,007 $0.942   338.7%
139 South Bend $7,434 9,359,956 $0.794   270.1%
136 Spokane $25,600 32,358,402 $0.791   268.6%
192 Springfield $33,785 29,801,668 $1.134   428.2%
189 Springfield $4,841 4,527,041 $1.069   398.3%
204 Springvield $5,350 4,142,370 $1.292   501.8%
68 State College $5,911 10,315,218 $0.573   167.0%
54 Stockton $16,229 30,448,611 $0.533   148.4%
118 St. Cloud $3,268 4,405,747 $0.742   245.6%
207 St. Joseph $1,356 1,001,825 $1.354   530.8%
82 St. Louis $144,706 240,371,304 $0.602 YES 180.5%
223 Sumter $536 263,980 $2.030   845.9%
104 Syracuse $24,006 35,036,789 $0.685   219.3%
153 Tallahassee $8,301 9,836,243 $0.844   293.2%
117 Tampa-St. Petersburg $60,920 83,054,610 $0.733   241.8%
231 Terre Haute $1,070 219,857 $4.869   2168.8%
148 Toledo $18,700 22,431,291 $0.834   288.4%
80 Topeka $2,909 4,883,820 $0.596   177.5%
37 Tucson $31,099 65,471,139 $0.475   121.3%
109 Tulsa $11,462 16,468,394 $0.696   224.3%
124 Tuscaloosa $919 1,212,261 $0.758   253.3%
126 Utica $4,904 6,452,724 $0.760   254.1%
228 Vero Beach $589 213,882 $2.752   1182.2%
53 Virginia Beach-Norfolk $43,855 82,659,800 $0.531   147.2%
33 Visalia $2,463 5,337,381 $0.462   115.1%
78 Waco $1,995 3,368,608 $0.592   176.0%
29 Washington-Baltimore $1,200,237 2,659,553,749 $0.451 YES 110.3%
151 Waterloo $1,593 1,902,374 $0.837   290.2%
155 Wausau $2,220 2,610,657 $0.850   296.2%
138 West Palm Beach $27,723 34,922,119 $0.794   269.9%
222 Wheeling $2,189 1,096,608 $1.996   830.0%
77 Wichita $6,397 10,834,088 $0.590   175.1%
128 Williamsport $2,457 3,198,826 $0.768   257.9%
62 Wilmington $1,984 3,554,042 $0.558   160.1%
175 Yakima $3,427 3,593,420 $0.954   344.4%
196 Youngstown $5,504 4,691,001 $1.173   446.7%
19 Yuba City $1,404 3,484,513 $0.403   87.8%
Total Operating Cost $20,141,661 44,794,371,576 $0.450   109.5%
Total Capital & Operating Expenditure $30,268,858 44,794,371,576 $0.676   214.9%
             
Caculated from Federal Transit Administration National Transit Database: 2001    
             
Rail Note:          
Operating costs only. Does not include capital costs and debt service. Transit capital costs and debt service may add one-third more than operating costs (there is no national source for transit capital costs and debt service). For bus systems, capital costs and debt service are typically less than 25 percent in relation to operating costs. For rail systems, capital costs and debt service can exceed 50 percent of operating costs. Transit systems with substantial rail components, as a result, will rank higher in operating costs than they would if total costs were available. For example, Washington's Metro bus and rail system incurred depreciation, amortization and interest costs 44 percent above the operating cost that the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority reported as operating costs to the Federal Transit Administration in 2001 (according to the WMATA Comprehensive Annual Financial Report).
Total Capital and Operating Expenditure estimated based upon total transit industry ratio.    
Automobile costs include purchase, insurance, maintenance, fuel (including gasoline tax). Automobile cost per passenger mile in 1999: $0.201 ($0.215 2001$).
20010621          

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