Wendell Cox
Commentary on
US Public Transport's
"Record" Ridership
Located at Heritage Foundation Website
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Budget/EM676.cfm
Summary
The American Public Transportation Association has reported
that 1999 marked a new peak in transit ridership. But automobile
usage and airplane boardings also reached record highs, and
more than 90 percent of America's work trips occur by auto and
less than 4 percent by transit. For nearly three decades,
transit has been propped up by federal, state, and local
taxpayers, and these subsidies now total nearly $20 billion
annually. Yet, since 1980, transit's share of urban travel
has fallen more than 35 percent. The sad truth is that transit
ridership has fallen so far that even if its market share were
to double (which at the APTA-reported rate of growth would take
more than 35 years), transit would still not have a meaningful
impact on traffic congestion or commuting patterns.
(c) 2000 www.publicpurpose.com --- Wendell Cox Consultancy --- Permission granted to use with attribution.
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