Public Transportation Gets Us There

Increased investment in public transportation will get Americans to work, to education, and to healthcare, and it will also get our nation to more job creation, less traffic congestion and cleaner air. When we picture the life, the country or the future we want, investing in public transportation gets us there.

Public Transportation Provides Economic Opportunities

  • ​Every $1 invested in public transportation generates $5 in economic returns.
  • Every $1 billion invested in public transportation supports and creates approximately 50,000 jobs.
  • Every $10 million in capital investment in public transportation yields $30 million in increased business sales.
  • Every $10 million in operating investment yields $32 million in increased business sales.
  • An estimated $39 billion of public transit expenditures flow into the private sector.
  • Home values were up to 24% higher near public transportation than in other areas. Hotels in cities with direct rail access to airports raise 11% more revenue per room than hotels in those cities without.

Public Transportation Is a Safer Way to Travel Than by Automobile

  • Traveling by public transportation is 10 times safer per mile than traveling by automobile.
  • A person can reduce his or her chance of being in an accident by more than 90% simply by taking public transit as opposed to commuting by car.

Public Transportation Saves Money

  • T​he average household spends 16 cents of every dollar on transportation, and 93% of this goes to buying, maintaining, and operating cars, the largest expenditure after housing.
  • A household can save nearly $10,000 by taking public transportation and living with one less car.

Public Transportation Reduces Gasoline Consumption

  • ​Public transportation’s overall effects save the United States 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline annually.

Public Transportation Reduces Carbon Footprint

  • ​Communities that invest in public transit reduce the nation’s carbon emissions by 37 million metric tons annually.