Public transit in the United States - Statistics & Facts
2023 saw the demise of Hyperloop One, which had promised to revolutionize mass transport by whisking passengers between cities in sealed tubes at 700 miles per hour. Yet, while the hype around hyperloop technology is dying down in the United States, federal support for old-fashioned public transport has seen a resurgence. The U.S. government announced funds for new long-distance and high-speed rail in 2023 and annual funding for public transit for the next three years is between 55 and 65 percent higher than it was in 2019, before the spike in funding during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While much of the public focus has been on rail, the workhorse of public transport in the United States remains the bus, which accounts for nearly half of all public transit trips. The number of U.S. bus passenger trips reached almost 3.5 billion in 2023. Despite the upward trend in passenger numbers since the collapse of public transport use during the COVID-19 pandemic, bus services have experienced a longer-term decline. Passenger numbers had already been falling before the pandemic and, as of 2023, remained around a quarter below 2019 figures, bringing with it declining passenger revenue and a funding crisis for bus services.
Public transit networks across the U.S. have experienced many changes throughout their nearly 400-year history. Operators are now facing new challenges that will need to be addressed: rebuilding patronage, changing commuter patterns, and increasing demands to make their services climate friendly and resilient.
While much of the public focus has been on rail, the workhorse of public transport in the United States remains the bus, which accounts for nearly half of all public transit trips. The number of U.S. bus passenger trips reached almost 3.5 billion in 2023. Despite the upward trend in passenger numbers since the collapse of public transport use during the COVID-19 pandemic, bus services have experienced a longer-term decline. Passenger numbers had already been falling before the pandemic and, as of 2023, remained around a quarter below 2019 figures, bringing with it declining passenger revenue and a funding crisis for bus services.
Electrification of the bus fleet
Despite the difficult operating environment for bus services, the sector is also looking forward. The adoption of electric buses has experienced rapid growth, albeit from a low level. Between 2021 and 2022, the number of zero-emission buses (ZEBs) in operation in the U.S. increased by more than 55 percent, growing by another 11 percent the following year. In 2023, their total figure stood at 6,102 vehicles, most of which were battery-electric buses. A third of these buses could be found in California, which operates the largest ZEB fleet.The transit giants
The first public transit system in the U.S. was set up in Boston, Massachusetts, initially as a ferry service in 1630, followed by stagecoaches in the late 1700s. Today, Boston’s transit authority (MBTA) is one of the largest transit authorities in the country. The leader among public transportation authorities in the U.S. is the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), responsible for mass transit in the New York metropolitan area. In 2019, ridership of the MTA network reached almost 2.6 billion trips, of which around 62 percent were made by subway. The MTA’s ridership suffered a considerable decrease in passengers amid the COVID-19 pandemic and recorded only 1.5 billion passengers in 2022.Public transit networks across the U.S. have experienced many changes throughout their nearly 400-year history. Operators are now facing new challenges that will need to be addressed: rebuilding patronage, changing commuter patterns, and increasing demands to make their services climate friendly and resilient.
