Studies have shown an increased demand for public transportation in both urban and rural areas.

• There is strong support for public transportation funding: 59% of Americans support using more of the transportation budget for improvements in public transportation, even if this means less money to build new roads.
  
  
• There are thousands of transit systems: 556 local public transportation operators provide service in 319 areas with a population of over 50,000 and 1260 organizations provide public transportation in rural areas.
  
  
• There is demand for new investment: In both 2003 and 2004 there were a total of 50 new transit projects in 35 states.
  
  
• Ridership is on the rise: 10 million Americans use public transportation for daily commute and 25 million people use transit on a regular basis. From 2000 to 2001, transit ridership increased by nearly two percent while the increase in driving was only one percent.
  
  
• Transit provides mobility for those who need it most: Transit provides a low-cost alternative for over one third of Americans that do not drive because they are too old, too young, disabled or cannot afford a car.

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Sources:

American Public Transportation Association, Public Transportation Partnership for Tomorrow: The Benefits of Public Transportation, March 2002. http://www.apta.com/research/info/online/

Fannie Mae Foundation: Housing Policy Debate, Volume 12, Issue 4, 2001.

Surface Transportation Policy Project, Center for Neighborhood Technology: Driven to Spend, 2000. http://www.transact.org/report.asp?id=36

Surface Transportation Policy Project: Americans' Attitudes Toward Walking and Creating More Walkable Communities, April 2003. http://www.transact.org/library/reports_html/pedpoll/pedpoll.asp