Report: US Transit Returns $5 for Every $1 Invested

A new analysis from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) highlights the economic impact of public transit investment.

According to an article by Noah Kolenda and Brandon Lewis in Mass Transit, “The report comes as a supplement to APTA’s Surface Transportation Authorization Recommendations, which it began pursuing last year. The recommendations urge Congress and the Trump Administration to build upon current investment made in public transit and passenger rail through the existing surface transportation authorization bill—the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA)—by providing $138 billion for public transit and $130 billion for passenger rail over the next five years.”

The analysis finds that every $1 billion invested in public transit yields 41,400 jobs, $251 million in tax revenue, and “$3.6 billion of value is realized in improved access to jobs and healthcare, reduced congestion and lower household transportation costs.”

According to other APTA research, “nearly 80% of federal public transit funds flow to the private sector, providing support for American manufacturing and family-wage jobs. APTA has also released updated bus manufacturing and rail car manufacturing schematics breaking down how federal investments in public transit support 3,000 suppliers in more than 1,700 communities in all 50 states.”

APTA recommends a $30 billion increase in federal funding from IIJA levels in the next surface transportation law.