Americans Took 10.6 Billion Trips on Public Transportation in 2015
Americans took 10.6 billion trips on public transportation in 2015, the third highest annual ridership in ten years, according to a report released today by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). Compared to public transit ridership in 2014, there was a small overall decline among all modes of 1.3 percent.
“In 2015, people took 10.6 billion trips on public transportation — the third highest annual ridership in the past ten years,” said Valarie J. McCall, APTA Chair and board member of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. “Considering the significant decline in gas prices, public transit ridership remained strong.”
In 2015 the average price of a gallon of gasoline was $2.52, which was 92 cents (26.7%) lower than in 2014. Gas prices in the fourth quarter of 2015 were $2.26 – even lower than the annual average. Research conducted by APTA shows that on the average, every 10 percent decrease in gas prices leads to a 1.8 percent decrease in public transportation ridership.
The increase of fares in 2015 may have also led to a slight decline in ridership. Fares increased 4.8 percent in 2015, rising from a national average of $1.87 in 2014 to $1.96 in 2015.
Noting that from 1995-2015 public transit ridership increased by 37 percent, almost double the population growth which increased by 21 percent, APTA CEO and President Michael Melaniphy said, “What’s clear is that, despite low gas prices and higher fares in some areas, people want transportation options and public transportation is an essential part of any local transportation network.”
Even with an overall decline nationally in ridership, some public transit agencies reported record ridership system-wide. They are as follows: Caltrain (San Carlos, CA), Chicago Transit Authority (Chicago, IL), Link Transit (Wenatchee, WA), Metro Transit (Minneapolis, MN), Metro North (New York, NY), Mountain Line (Missoula, MT), NJ Transit (New Jersey), and Sound Transit (Seattle, WA).
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For the 2015 Ridership Breakdown, view the complete article at APTA.com.
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The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is a nonprofit international association of 1,500 public and private sector organizations, engaged in the areas of bus, paratransit, light rail, commuter rail, subways, waterborne services, and intercity and high-speed passenger rail. This includes: transit systems; planning, design, construction, and finance firms; product and service providers; academic institutions; transit associations and state departments of transportation. APTA is the only association in North America that represents all modes of public transportation. APTA members serve the public interest by providing safe, efficient and economical transit services and products. More than 90 percent of the people using public transportation in the United States and Canada ride APTA member systems.
