Commuter Check

With Texas Transportation Institute’s annual congestion report released, it has further validated the importance of using public transportation. The 2009 Urban Mobility Report states that public transportation saved 646 million hours in travel time and 398 million gallons of fuel. However, without public transportation, the report claims that congestion costs would have risen 16% to an additional $13.7 billion since 2005.

Also, the congestion report highlights that the largest urban areas where transit is most available and used; the savings are the greatest, indicting the value of public transportation investment. Public transportation saves about 37 million metric tons of carbon emissions and 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline every year.

As William Millar, President of American Public Transportation Association (APTA) states, “This highly respected report, which shows that traffic congestion is still a major problem on our nation’s roads, also drives home the value of public transit in helping to reduce congestion.”

To read the complete report, please visit APTA at www.apta.com.