Benefits of Public Transportation

Public Transit can provide numerous benefits for the environment and help eliminate the high costs of owning and operating a personal vehicle. The following facts are some examples of how Public Transit can be a “smart move.”

Did you know:

• A typical family can save more than $6,000 per year if just one person uses public transportation.
• Saving one gallon of gas eliminates 19 pounds of carbon emissions.
• Public transportation produces 95% less carbon monoxide for every passenger mile traveled.
• Annually, in the United States, public transit saves more than 855 million gallons of gasoline or about 45 million barrels of oil which is equal to about one month of oil imports from Saudi Arabia.
• In 2006, there were 10.1 billion trips taken on public transportation, the highest in 49 years.
• Compared to private vehicles, public transportation produces nearly 50 percent less carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide per passenger mile.
• U.S. public transportation systems save 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline every year, the equivalent of 108 million cars filling up in a year.
• The Federal Transportation Administration values the aggregate benefits from transit related congestion relief provided by Public Transit at $19.4 Billion annually.

• Urban Rail systems can provide more capacity in a 100-foot right-of-way than a 300 ft six-lane freeway.

To see how much Public Transit can save you use the “cost of commute” calculator below. Once you see the savings visit our on-line trip planner and plan your trip today. For more information on Public Transportation facts visit www.apta.com