Study finds Americans support more public transit

December 1, 2015

Home>News>Transportation>Amtrak/Commuter>Amtrak/Commuter News>Study finds Americans support more public transit

NJ TransitWASHINGTON – A new national survey reveals that more than 7 in 10 Americans support increased federal funding for the nation’s public transportation systems, including those that serve small cities, towns, and large urban areas. The survey was conducted by ORC International for the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and it shows support for increased funding for public transit is consistent across communities of all sizes.

Support for increased public transportation funding was also seen across age groups and political affiliations, with some of the highest numbers among Millennials ages 18 – 34 (77 percent) and individuals age 65 and older (76 percent).

“No matter where you live and work – and what age you are, public transit provides vital access to jobs and everything a community has to offer,” said APTA President and CEO Michael P. Melaniphy. “As Congress finalizes its work on the surface transportation bill, we must ensure we provide for both large and smaller communities through growth of the federal transit program.”

Owning or having access to a private vehicle does not diminish public transit support across the nation, with 71 percent of car owners reporting that they want to see more federal investment in public transportation in both large and small communities. In addition, a majority (56 percent) of respondents said public transit is important in attracting and retaining employers in their community.

When asked about the types of public transit survey respondents are familiar with in their community, they noted scheduled bus (57 percent), van/buses for persons with disabilities (51 percent), passenger train (40 percent), inter-state bus (37 percent), commuter vanpools (27 percent), trolleys (20 percent) and ferries (19 percent).

The national online study was conducted for APTA by ORC International in the summer of 2015 among a sample of 1,019 individuals age 18 or older. The results have a 95 percent confidence level.

For more details on the survey results, visit www.apta.com.