Public Transit
Public transit is not limited to buses or trains, it can even be car pooling or biking.
Imagine a city with no cars on the road. With transportation accounting for 30% of greenhouse gases in the United States, we must explore alternatives to help our environment. Remember when you may have taken the bus to school? Public transportation is any transportation service that is available to and shared by large numbers of people. It can help you get where you are going faster and cheaper, and importantly, public transportation is more eco-friendly.
Public Transportation Includes
Buses
Light Rail
Subways
Commuter Trains
Streetcars and Trolleys
Cable Cars
Car Pool Services
Ferries
Public transportation's overall effects save the United States 4.2 billion gallons of gasoline annually; this is the equivalent of taking 9 million cars off the road. For example, "Buses emit 20% less carbon monoxide, 10% as much hydrocarbons, and 75% as much nitrogen oxides per passenger mile than an automobile with a single occupant," according to the American Public Transportation Association. Transporting people in masses signifies that a large group of people spread greenhouse gas emissions.
Next, the investment of public transportation and use has been shown to save money for you and the economy. When you're riding on a bus, train, or ferry, you're only paying the ticket price. There is no insurance to pay or gas. You didn't have to buy the entire bus and find a place to store it to use it. And you don't even have to drive. This means that you can spend more attention on what matters to you. "Every $1 invested in public transportation generates $4 in economic returns," according to Politico. Imagine if we invested more in public transportation, we could quadruple our principle.
Finally, public transportation is faster. Some may argue that you need to wait in long lines or stops to get where you're going. The problems lie in the current and outdated transportation infrastructure. However, even with these minor slowdowns, public transportation surpasses standard car traffic. The World Bank found in one study, "Commuters in Johannesburg can save an estimated 73 million hours between 2007 and 2026 - equaling more than 9 million eight-hour work-days through public transportation." Johannesburg is only one small example of what new public transportation can be. As we develop technology in renewing public transportation infrastructure, we can see huge leaps within efficiency.
Now, we are dreaming of new systems of transportation such as the hyper-loop. If we continue to dream, invest, and build these sustainable systems, we can offer an eco-friendly, cheaper, and faster alternative than driving. You can help support the renovation of transportation by riding on a bus, train, or a ferry a few times a week. You might even realize that you don't need a car.
