Our elected representatives have failed to control transportation spending or to prioritize what they fund. What is bankrupt, however, is not the Highway Trust Fund but congressional transportation policy. It is true that for the past 13 years, Congress has allocated $157 billion (so far) more for highways and transit than the revenue received from federal user taxes paid by motorists and truckers. Thanks to readers for comments suggesting this.Many politicians, media commentators and transportation advocates claim the federal Highway Trust Fund is bankrupt. * Update: The photo for Hampton Roads Transit has been updated. To learn more, read THP’s Racing Ahead or Falling Behind? Six Economic Facts About Transportation Infrastructure in the United States. For example, a strike by Los Angeles transit workers that temporarily shut down service in 2003 resulted in a 47 percent increase in highway delays. Mass transit also alleviates congestion for drivers. Kearney, Brad Hershbein, and Greg Nantz, there is plenty of evidence that suggests government subsidies for transit might be justified: Development of transit stations has been linked to higher land values, higher office rents, and lower office vacancy rates. Like roads, mass transit is not self-sustaining: it requires a combination of user fees and other government funding to pay for operations, maintenance, and expansion.īut according to THP’s Melissa S. Image of Newtown Road station from Hampton Roads Transit, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), CA Port Authority of Allegheny County (Port Authority), PAĢ. NJ-Philadelphia Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO), NJ & PAģ. Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority (ST), WA San Francisco Municipal Railway (MUNI), CAĦ. Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), MDĨ. Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFT Metro), NY Overall, these 10 metro rail systems are losing the most money per passenger ride: 10. But when it comes to the smaller systems in cities like Seattle, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh, riders end up paying approximately four dollars less than the cost of each trip. For instance, riders in the five largest systems-New York, Washington, DC, Boston, Chicago, and the San Francisco Bay Area-pay about a dollar less than the actual cost of each trip. So just how much money are they losing? In general, average losses per trip are smaller for larger metro systems.
have increased fares in recent years, chances are your local transit system still isn’t breaking even on your ride: According to a Hamilton Project (THP) post, of the more than 1,800 mass transit systems in the United States-including those running trains, buses, or other transport modes-only about two percent reported that fare revenue exceeded operating expenses in 2013.Īnd when it comes to metro rail systems across the U.S.-which include heavy rail, such as subways and elevated trains, and light rail, which operates at street level-all U.S. Though many public transit systems across the U.S.
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