The Best and Worst Cities for Transit

The Brookings Institution recently analyzed the top 100 metropolitan areas in the U.S. to see how easy it is to use transit. Time presents the best and worst from the list, which includes some surprises.

1 minute read

May 13, 2011, 1:00 PM PDT

By Nate Berg


"With gas prices rising and jobs still scarce, more commuters are looking for efficient ways to get to work without a car. But are America's transit systems up to the task? To find out, the BROOKINGS Institute looked at U.S. public transportation systems in the nation's 100 largest metro areas and analyzed which cities were best at getting their residents to their workplaces in a timely and cost-effective manner. By researching coverage, service frequency and percent of total employed residents who can use public transportation, the report aimed to rank cities based on the most convenient overall commute."

Modesto, California, Provo, Utah, and Albuquerque, New Mexico are among the best cities for public transit in America. Atlanta, Georgia, Birmingham, Alabama, and Knovxill, Tennessee are among the worst.

Thursday, May 12, 2011 in Time

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