FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 17, 2000
Contact: Karen Clarke
Telephone: 202-366-4043
FTA 05-00
U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY SLATER: PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
ENDED THE 20th CENTURY WITH RECORD RIDERSHIP
Last year, Americans took more than 9 billion trips on public transportation, the highest ridership in nearly four decades. This record ridership represents the highest level since the advent of the federal transit program.
"President Clinton and Vice President Gore are committed to making American communities more livable," Secretary Slater said. "I am pleased to see that so many Americans are benefitting from public transportation -- safe, efficient, reliable public transportation improves the quality of life for all and helps protect the environment."
Public transportation usage continues to outpace growth in other modes of transportation such as airlines and highways. Last year, public transportation ridership increased by 4.5 percent over 1998, compared with a 2 percent gain in motor vehicle miles traveled and a 3 percent increase in passenger trips taken on U.S. airlines. The current level of public transportation usage marks the fourth straight year of ridership increases and represents a 15.2 percent increase since 1995.
"The equivalent of more than a million new trips on public transportation were added each day in 1999. An investment in public transportation infrastructure by the federal government has worked to create high quality services and the expansion of existing services for more choice in meeting America’s mobility needs," said William Millar, president of the American Public Transit Association. "From Bowling Green, Ky., which increased ridership by 31 percent, to New York City Transit’s subway, which increased ridership by 7 percent, more people riding public transportation means less congestion and a better quality of life in the 21st century."
All major modes of public transportation have more riders. Gains in ridership were led by heavy rail transit systems with a 6.4 percent increase, demand response or paratransit services, 4.7 percent, bus systems, 3.8 percent, and commuter rail systems, 3.7 percent.
Seen throughout America, the growth trend cuts across small towns, suburban regions and large cities. Bus systems serving areas from 50,000 to 100,000 increased 11.6 percent in 1999 over 1998, and systems serving populations below 50,000 went up 6.3 percent. The nation’s largest bus systems -- those in urbanized areas of more than 1 million in population such as Detroit, (27.5 percent), Washington D.C., (10.1 percent), Orange County in the Los Angeles suburbs (6.0 percent), and New York City Transit buses (5.6 percent) – also accounted for substantial gains in ridership.
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