Report: 10.8 Billion Americans Rode Transit in 2014

Keith Lang reports on the annual transit ridership report, released today by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). The report finds that Americans took 10.8 billion trips on public transit in 2014—the highest total in 58 years and up from 10.7 billion in 2013.

"In 2014, people took a record 10.8 billion trips on public transportation -- the highest annual ridership number in 58 years," APTA CEO Phillip Washington said in a statement announcing the report. "Some public transit systems experienced all-time record high ridership last year. This record ridership didn't just happen in large cities. It also happened in small and medium size communities."

In fact the report's findings are a mixed bag. According to the press releases, "[some] of the public transit agencies reporting record ridership system-wide were located in the following cities:  Albany, NY; Boston, MA; Canton, OH; Columbus, OH; Denver, CO; Indianapolis, IN; Madison, WI; Minneapolis, MN; Olympia, WA; Orlando, FL; St. Petersburg, FL; Riverside, CA; Salt Lake City, UT; San Francisco, CA; Seattle, WA; Spokane, WA; Tampa, FL; and Wenatchee, WA."

However, Kritsti King reports that the report finds transit ridership down in Washington, D.C. " WMATA, which runs Metrobus and Metrorail, saw combined ridership in 2014 compared to 2013 down 0.67 percent."

Laing goes on to place the report in the context of ongoing debate about federal funding of transportation projects.

Last year's report led with optimism about the record number of transit riders but then met cautious responses to the implications of the report's data.