The 10 Best Cities for Public Transportation
The 10 Best Cities for Public Transportation
In 2009, passengers across the country took 10.2 billion trips on public transportation systems in the United States, and its usage continues to grow. Since 1995, public transit ridership has grown at a faster rate than either population or highway usage. By using data on ridership, safety, and government spending (2008 figures), U.S. News has compiled a list of the 10 best cities in the country for public transportation
10. Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the only city among the top 10 that does not have an urban rail system. The city’s TheBus system is Oahu’s primary mode of public transit, and its high ridership helps to boost the city to its No. 10 position in per capita public transit usage. But Honolulu is also seeking to expand its transit options, and a 20-mile elevated rail system connecting the city with western Oahu is currently in the planning stages
9. Seattle, Wash.
Like many other cities, Seattle's public transit system includes bus and rail transit. But the city's unique system also features a monorail in the city center, as well as ferries. The city also featured the third-highest per-capita transit spending in 2008.
8. San Diego, Calif.
San Diego's transit system features a trolley line to move customers well beyond the city's downtown and into the suburbs. The city is also connected to the large southern California Metrolink passenger rail system.
7. Salt Lake City, Utah (tie)
Salt Lake City earns its No. 6 spot in large part because of its heavy investment in serving a large suburban and exurban population. The Utah Transit Authority is expanding its light rail system, known as TRAX. The city is adding four new lines to the three-line system, allowing better suburban access to the city; though the city’s population is just over 180,000, the system serves 1.7 million people in the larger area.
6. San Jose, Calif. (tie)
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority provides much of the public transit in the San Jose area, and operates bus and light-rail lines. The city did well in the safety category, and was No. 3 of our top 10 in terms of safety incidents per capita in 2008
5. Portland, Oregon
Portland is widely considered one of the nation’s leaders in public transit. Its system features the Free Rail Zone--a region of downtown Portland within which light rail and streetcar rides are free all day, every day.
4. Boston, Mass.-N.H.-R.I.
According to the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority, mass transit in Boston began in 1631, with ferries connecting the city’s peninsula to the mainland. Today, MBTA still runs commuter ferries, in addition to buses, commuter rail lines, and a subway system that is better known as the “T.”
3. Los Angeles, Calif
The City of Angels is known for being among the worst in the nation for traffic, with delays estimated at 63 hours per driver per year. That may be why nearly 1.5 million people ride the L.A. metro bus and rail systems every weekday. To serve the sprawling metro area, the system operates 2,600 buses and a metro rail system that runs over 79.1 miles of track.
2. New York-Newark, N.Y.-N.J.-Conn.
The Big Apple is No. 1 in total number of passenger trips and government spending per capita on public transit. The area’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates at a staggering capacity: its 2010 operating budget was $13.4 billion, and the average weekday ridership is estimated to be over 8.4 million. All told, the city accounted for 40 percent of the nation’s transit trips in 2008.
1. Denver-Aurora, Colo.
Denver’s public transit includes bus and light rail lines, as well as an airport shuttle service. The MallRide bus lines also transport passengers over the city’s mile-long 16th Street Mall for free, seven days a week. The city is also undertaking a multi-billion-dollar expansion of its transit system to increase light rail, commuter rail, and bus rapid transit lines.