Will better transit funding attract riders? [1 of 4]

Worldwide, it has been demonstrated that consistent investments in quality public transit services allow transit to retain and even increase its ridership - despite growth in automobile ownership.

A comparison of developments in Germany and the United States illustrates this. After World War II, transportation investments in German cities were characterized by a consistently high investment in quality public transport. Of course, automobile ownership also rose, but public transport retained its competitiveness and ridership; transit patronage even grew. In the United States, on the other hand, rising automobile ownership gave way to increased emphasis on developing infrastructure to accommodate private vehicles and decreased emphasis on public transit.

As funding for public transit was reduced, streetcar, trolleybus and rail systems folded or were replaced by cheaper and less frequent bus services. Public transit lost much of its quality and competitiveness. The end result of this was a massive modal shift away from transit and towards the private automobile. Transit ridership in the U.S. reached an all-time low in the mid-1970's due to this de-investment.