A new study released today by the American Public Transportation Association shows that public transportation ridership across the United States increased by 2.31% in 2011 over the previous year, rising to the second highest level since 1957.
In pieces in USA Today and The New York Times, Larry Copeland and Michael Cooper cite job growth, rising gas prices, cost savings, and new technologies that provide better information on arrival and departure times as factors driving the increase.
As Copeland reports, what's even more astonishing is that, "[g]reater use came despite more than eight out of 10 transit systems either cutting service, increasing fares or both in recent years, says Michael Melaniphy, the association's [APTA] president and CEO. 'Can you imagine what ridership growth would have been like if they hadn't had to do those fare increases and service cuts?'"
The report comes as the House and Senate attempt to finalize a new surface transportation reauthorization bill before current legislation expires on March 31. "Republicans in the House of Representatives [had] proposed ending the three-decade practice of putting aside a portion of the nation's highway trust fund to pay for transit, worrying local transit systems and drawing heated opposition from Democrats and quite a few Republicans," writes Cooper.
Noted by both authors was the fact that transit ridership growth was driven by customers in a wide variety of communities, not just in cities. "'It's not just an urban thing,' Melaniphy says. 'When you look at small, rural parts of the country, cities under 100,000, the ridership increase was 5.4%, basically double the national average,'" notes Copeland.
Read the full story: Public transportation use up across the nation in 2011
APTA Report Documents Transit Equity Efforts
Transit agencies around the country are boosting their efforts to serve historically marginalized communities and make transit work better for the households that rely on it the most.
Falling Transit Ridership 'Disastrous' for Greenhouse Gas Reductions
With ridership at record lows and agencies struggling to stay afloat, public transit around the world will need robust investment to recover after the pandemic.
Criticism for Transportation Spending in House-Approved $3 Trillion Relief Bill
The U.S. House of Representatives approved the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act earlier this month. Transit advocates say the bill reinforces the car-centric status quo.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
NYC DOT wants faster, more permanent street upgrades
The city is examining ways to build more concrete infrastructure without getting entangled in 'decades-long' projects.
'Something we’ve never seen before:' rising utility rates could strain city finances nationwide
Data centers, climate change and other factors have caused utility rates in the United States to increase by 38% since 2020.
Trump to overrule local leaders, lease millions of acres of America’s Pacific Island territories’ seafloors to mining companies
International law says that the Indigenous people of America’s territories have a right to prior and informed consent regarding projects that impact their countries.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello