The American Public Transportation Association is predicting that as petrol prices increase, Americans will turn to public transport in record numbers.
APTA wants to see long term investment in public transportation as its analysis finds that if regular petrol prices reach $4 a gallon across the nation, an additional 670million passenger trips could be expected. Similarly, if petrol prices reach $5 a gallon, then an additional annual 1.5billion passenger trips can be expected – meaning more than 11.6billion trips per year. The number is even more staggering at $6 a gallon with expectations reaching as high as an additional 2.7billion passenger trips.
APTA President William Millar wants significant, long-term investment in public transportation with public transit seen as the quickest way for people to beat high petrol prices.
According to its study, many public transit systems across the country are already seeing large ridership increases – sometimes in the region of double digits. For example, the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority in Pompano Beach, FL, is reporting increases of 10.6 per cent.
