Americans are moving away from cars and towards alternative modes of transportation. A new report by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) says that transit ridership in the US is at its highest level in 57 years. In 2013, Americans took more than 10.7 billion trips on public transportation.
Heavy rail (subways and elevated trains) reported a 2.8 percent increase in ridership; commuter rail ridership increased by 2.1 percent; and light rail (modern streetcars, trolleys, and heritage trolleys) increased an average of 1.6 percent.
Important to note is bus ridership increasing by 3.8 percent in cities with populations below 100,000, showing that public transportation is important to Americans living in all sizes of cities and towns. Seattle stood out specifically in the light rail transit area. Sound Transit posted a 9.8 percent jump in ridership!
What do these numbers tell us? That access to alternate modes of transportation is of great importance. Increasingly, Americans are not just looking for quality schools or safe communities in a potential neighborhood, but also for a home with access to transit. A strong transit system builds a strong economy. In response to the report, APTA President and CEO Michael Melaniphy said, “Community leaders know that public transportation investment drives community growth and economic revitalization.”
Chart below shows the ridership rates for most Washington cities included in the APTA study: