Is public transit becoming more popular?

Total weekly national public transit ridership hovered around 180 million in early March 2020, plummeted down to 40 million by April 2020, and has slowly increased since then but now hovers at 140 million, significantly below the pre-pandemic baseline.



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According to Statista Consumer Insights, 73 percent of American commuters use their own car to move between home and work, making it by far the most popular mode of transportation. Meanwhile, only 13 percent of the 7,649 respondents use public transportation while 11 percent ride their bike.

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Public Transportation Provides Economic Opportunities 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.

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But the state of public transit in the U.S. is declining rapidly as transit across the nation faces a fiscal crisis. Philadelphia's SEPTA predicts a deficit of almost $269 million by 2027.

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Since government-owned public transit is subsidized to the point where fares barely cover a fraction of the operating costs, it might be said that public transit is a failed market. Could a privately run transit company survive outside of highly populated, densely packed urban areas? Probably not.

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According to the American Community Survey (ACS), public transportation commuters constituted about 5 percent of all workers in the United States in 2019.

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The Northeast, home to several of the most traveled transit systems in the country, has the largest share of adults by region (25%) who use public transportation on a regular basis (daily or weekly). City dwellers are also more frequent users of mass transit.

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Sustainable transportation: There will be a greater emphasis on sustainable transportation, including walking, cycling, and public transportation, as cities work to reduce traffic congestion, air pollution, and carbon emissions.

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Not only is the New York City public transportation system the most extensive in the country, but it's also one of the few that operates all night long. Both subway trains and bus services run 24/7.

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Overall, the United States ranked second behind Singapore, but it falls somewhat behind when it comes to transportation and utility infrastructure. On transportation, the forum's score takes into account eight measures, rating the United States No. 12 globally.

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Paris has been named the world's top city for public transit, according to William Russell's Global Transport Index 2023. The city's transport network is praised not only for being affordable (with the average ticket costing just $2.29), but also for having numerous transport options.

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  • New York City, New York. It's no surprise that New York City has the best mass transit system in the country. ...
  • Boston, Massachusetts. ...
  • San Francisco, California. ...
  • Los Angeles, California. ...
  • Washington, D.C. ...
  • Chicago, Illinois. ...
  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...
  • Miami, Florida.


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Arlington, Texas, is the largest city in the United States without a mass transportation system.

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From 2022 to 2026, the state with the highest public funding for public transportation in the U.S. will be New York with an authorized budget of around 11.2 billion U.S. dollars, followed by California and New Jersey with a budget of 10.3 and 4.5 billion U.S. dollars respectively.

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The vast majority of passenger travel in the United States occurs by automobile for shorter distances and airplane or railroad for longer distances.

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1946 - With war-related travel conditions still prevailing, US transit patronage reaches 23.5 billion riders, its absolute all-time high.

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Inadequate public transportation can also increase social isolation, particularly for older populations and people with disabilities or others who do not drive. This can increase the risk for early mortality, depression, and dementia.

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