As of 2021, there were 64,000 motor buses on the road in the United States for transportation usage, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. In addition, there were 1,415 passenger rail cars in the United States that same year for Amtrak, the country’s national public passenger rail service. Interestingly, overall commuter rail use (think light rail in metropolitan areas)  has increased by one-third since 1980, when there were 4500 cars, compared to 2021, when there were 7151 cars on the road. As cities such as Denver, CO, modernize their transit systems, there has been an increase in the implementation of light rail services across many major metropolitan areas.

For public transit ridership, the American Public Transportation Association indicates that the number of hybrid-electric public transportation motor buses has increased from 7.0% in 2013 to 18.3% in 2023. In addition, the APTA estimates that Americans save 6 billion gallons of gasoline each year by using public transportation. In 2023, the APTA estimated that 2.266 billion trips were taken by unlinked passengers by bus, with 8.42 billion passenger miles being traveled, with an average trip length of 3.7 miles per passenger. Buses operate on 219,000 miles of roads and streets in the United States. The cost of the average bus ride out of 84 metropolitan areas in the United States was $1.86 per ride, although the average length of the ride was not listed in the statistics. According to the Center for Neighborhood Technology, public transportation saved approximately 63 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions equivalent in 2018. According to the APTA, bus ridership fell to 20% of pre-pandemic levels in spring 2020, and by September 2022 had recovered to 70% of those levels.

In its 2022 sustainability report, Amtrak stated that it had cut 450,000 electric tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions since 2010. As for passenger rail usage, Amtrak’s engines run on diesel fuel, which costs an average of 3-5 gallons per mile. Despite this, Amtrak has been attempting to revolutionize its usage of alternative fuels so that it does not rely so heavily on diesel. Additionally, Amtrak plans to transition to electric trains in the future. However, this will take time to implement because of the significant need for change in infrastructure and funding. Many electric Amtrak trains run along the Northeastern United States rail lines.  Amtrak plans to achieve net-zero gas emissions by the year 2045. In 2013, Amtrak transported nearly 30.9 million rail passengers annually, which increased to 32 million in 2019. However, when the pandemic hit, the usage significantly decreased and has been in recovery since, with a strong comeback year marked by 28.6 million riders in 2023 compared to the 16 million it shot down to in 2020.

Public transit is expected to be used as more metropolitan and rural areas implement transit systems to modernize and connect their residents. As more people grow concerned about climate change and gas prices continue to dog the average American, people are expected to support alternative means of transportation to private vehicle usage. It is important to continue to educate others on the value of public transport and encourage the expansion of public infrastructure to make day-to-day destinations and commutes accessible and affordable for all.

This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard US Country Manager Abby Carlson.