Benefits of
Transit
According to the Center for Transportation Excellence,
public transportation plays an integral role in
improving our
nation's prosperity, equity and mobility. An overview of the
benefits provides a powerful
rationale for investing in its
future. Learn about how transit helps build strong communities,
good health and a robust economy.
Economic |
Environmental |
Health |
Community |
Social Justice |
Other
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Environmental Benefits
Public
transportation saves energy and reduces pollution in
America today -- and increased usage
could have an even
greater impact in the future. Americans today realize
that transit is a key element
in sound national energy
and air quality policy.
- Public transportation
helps promote cleaner air by reducing automobile use,
which can exacerbate
smog and public health problems.
Each year, public transportation use avoids the
emission of more
than 126 million pounds of
hydrocarbons, a primary cause of smog, and 156 million
pounds of
nitrogen oxides, which can cause respiratory
disease.
- For each mile traveled,
fewer pollutants are emitted by transit vehicles than
by a single-passenger
automobile. (Buses emit 80% less
carbon monoxide than a car; rail, almost none.)
- According to the Sierra
Club, 7 of the 12 cities with the highest grades for
low car and truck smog
per person (New York, Chicago,
Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento and
Washington, DC)
are located in the states that spend
the most on clean transportation choices,
demonstrating the power
of public transit as a tool to
combat air pollution.
- Public transportation can
significantly reduce dependency on gasoline, reducing
auto fuel consumption
by 1.5 billion gallons annually.
For example, a person who commutes 60 miles each way
daily could
save an estimated 1,888 gallons of
gasoline every year by switching from using a car to
using public
transportation. Many U.S. transit systems
are continuing to invest in compressed natural gas,
low-sulfur
burning buses or diesel-electric hybrid
buses.
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