Transit Ridership Down, Commute Times Up, Census Says

More people are driving to work and those drives are getting longer. "Most of the increase in drivers is from people driving alone, an increase of just under 2 million people, compared with only 27,000 more carpoolers than the previous year," Katie Pyzyk reports for Smart Cities DIVE. With more cars commuting, it stands to reason that commutes would be getting longer and they have. "In general, the longest commute times occur in large cities or their suburbs," Pyzyk reports.

The biggest declines by mode came from public transit users. Bus ridership, in particular, is down sharply. Active commutes are also down, "The number of people cycling to work slipped by about 3%, or 27,000 commuters, and those walking to work dropped by 32,000," Pyzyk writes.