US Transit Ridership

By

Sean Christofferson

U.S. Public Transportation Ridership Facts

• 5% of U.S. Population uses public Transportation to get to work

• Three rail modes provide most rail transit service operated in the U.S.: heavy rail, commuter rail, and light rail.

• Public transportation was provided in the UnitedStates during 2007 by 7,700 organizations ranging from large multi-modal systems to single-vehicle special para-transit service providers

• Public transportation spent $48.4 billion for service provision and capital investment in 2007

• Passengers took 10.2 billion trips and rode transit vehicles for 53.4 billion miles

• Fare per Unlinked Trip Average $1.09

Growth in Public Tansportation Ridership Population

Year Unlinked Passenger Trips

in Millions

2002 9,6232003 9,4342004 9,5752005 9,8152006 10,0172007 10,2472008 10,684

Public Transportation Growth Rates in Comparison

Public Transportation Ridership by Mode 2006

Mode Annual Unlinked Trips (In Millions)

Percentage of All Public Transportation Trips

Annual Passenger Miles Traveled (Millions)

Percentage of All Transit Passenger Miles Traveled

Bus 5,894 58.8% 22,821 43.8%Heavy Rail 2,927 29.2% 14,721 28.2%Commuter Rail 441 4.4% 10,361 19.9%Light Rail 407 4.1% 1,866 3.6%Demand Responsive 126 1.3% 1,078 2.1%Trolley Bus 100 1.0% 164 .3%Other 121 1.2% 1,143 2.2%

Total 10,017 100% 52,154 100%

Public Transportation Ridership by Mode 2006 Highlights

• Higher Percentage of Trips made by Bus than mileage covered by Bus

• 37.7% of total public transportation trips by rail vs. 51.7% of all transit miles traveled by rail

• 5.2 miles traveled on average per public transportation trip overall

• 23.49 avg. miles traveled per trip on commuter rail is highest (next is 5.0 on heavy rail)

Public Transportation Trips by Trip Type

Transit Trips by Trip Type

58%

7%

11%

9%

3%

12%

Work

Recreation

School

Shopping

Medical

Other

MedicalRecreational

ShoppingSchoolOther

Employment/WorK

Type of Trip Percent of Total

Employment/Work 59%School 11%Shopping 9%Recreation/Social 7%Medical 3%Other 12%

Transit Ridership by Age Group

Transit Ridership by Age

4% 9%

12%

21%

19%

18%

10%7%

14 and Under 15 to 19 20 to 24 25 to 34

35 to 44 45 to 54 55 to 64 65 and over

• Transit is primarily ridden by persons between the ages of 25 and 54

• 25 to 34 has the highest ridership

• 14 and under has the lowest ridership

Transit Ridership by Ethnicity

Transit Ridership by Ethnicity

41%

33%

14%

5%7%

White/Caucasion Black/African Hispanic/Latino

Asian/Pacific Islander Other

• Largest Rider Population is by White/Caucasion

• Lowest Rider Population is by Asian/Pacific Islander population

Transit Ridership by Gender

Female55%

Male45%

Transit Ridership by Income

Transit Ridership by Income

20%

15%

31%

16%

9%

7% 2%

Less Than $15,000 $15,000 - $24,999 $25,000 - $49,999

$50,000 - $74,999 $75,000 - $99,999 $100,000 - $149,999

$150,000 or More

• Only 20.8 percent of rail modes trips are made by persons from households with annual incomes less than $25,000 while 43.4 percent of bus riders are from households with these lower income levels.

• Conversely, 30.3 percent of rail mode riders have incomes of $75,000 or more while only 11.5 percent of roadway mode rides are taken by persons with these higher household incomes.

• The percentage of rides taken by persons with higher incomes increases for larger population groups.

Transit Rider Income vs. Overall Population Income

0.00%

5.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%

30.00%

35.00%

Lessthan

$15,000

$15,000 -$24,999

$25,000 -$49,999

$50,000 -$74,999

$75,000 -$99,999

$100,000-

$149,999

$150,000or More

On Board Transit Riders Income -vs- 2000 Census Data Income

Transit OnboardSurvey

2000 Census

Frequency of Transit Use

Frequency of Transit Use (days ridden per week)

Less Than One6% One

6%Two7%

Three8%

Four8%

Five35%

Six13%

Seven17%

Less Than One One Two Three Four Five Six Seven

Push Factors

• Increasing Traffic Congestion

• Personal Income

• Fuel Costs

• Increased Parking Costs

• Toll Road Schemes

• Upgrades to Public Transit System

Pull Factors

• Accessibility (Flexible travel opportunities)

• Journey Times Highly Reliable

• Minimal Wait for Connecting Service

• High Quality Passenger Space

• Low Fares

Challenges Facing the Nation’s Public Transit Infrastructure

• Age and Deterioration • Almost one-third of urban bus

maintenance facilities—31 percent—were in an unacceptable condition in 2004

• Planning for 120 Million More Americans

• difficult to coordinate action for objectives beyond individual State and local jurisdictions

• The price of building intercity passenger rail travel

Sources

• Bureau of Census

• Federal Highway Administration's monthly; Traffic Volume Trends

• APTA Public Transportation Ridership Report