Public Transportation and the Environment

Public transportation helps reduce the carbon footprint, alleviate congestion, increase public safety, and generate economic savings.

U. S. bus transit, which has about a quarter (28%) of its seats occupied on average, emits an estimated 33% lower greenhouse gas emissions per passenger mile than the average U.S. single-occupancy vehicle.
Communities that invest in public transit reduce the nation’s carbon emissions by 37 million metric tons annually.
Public transportation reduces emissions by facilitating higher density development, which conserves land and decreases the distances people need to travel to reach destinations.

During high traffic times, a bus of seated passengers carries more people than a one block-long traffic jam.
When people take the bus to rural areas like Hood River, they reduce the need for parking and help lessen traffic in our small towns and cities.

A person can reduce his or her chance of being in an accident by more than 90 percent simply by taking public transit as opposed to commuting by car.
Traveling by public transportation is 10 times safer per mile than traveling by automobile.

The average household spends 16 cents of every dollar on transportation, and 92% of this goes to buying, maintaining, and operating cars, the largest expenditure after housing.
A household can save nearly $10,000 by taking public transportation and living with one less car.