Business Buzz: Public Transportation Use Is Up

Gas prices, traffic cited as reasons behind crowded buses and trains

Good morning, public transit riders! According to an annual survey by the American Public Transportation Association, the number of Americans commuting by subways, regional trains and buses rose to the second highest level ever last year. Ridership rose 1.49 percent, with passengers taking 10.52 million trips in 2012. We know the economy is growing (slowly) and some of the jobs lost in the Great Recession are coming back. But a good number of us aren’t driving our cars to those jobs. Nearly 60 percent of all transit trips taken by people going to work, says Michael Melaniphy, president of public transportation association. (Reuters)

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