Driving alongside public transportation routes also does unnecessary harm to the environment. More cars on the road mean more traffic congestion; more gas wasted by every car, more noise, and more air pollution…which can have serious health and environmental effects.
Public transit also provides serious personal freedom and increases work efficiency. It allows people with limited, or no car, access to still take control of their lives, getting to work, school, and all around town on their own, and even reading a book or newspaper on the way. It often reduces time spent getting to and from work, increasing job efficiency and allowing employees more free time.
Here are more facts about how using public transportation can save your health, wallet, and environment:
- Americans took 10.5 billion public transportation trips in 2012, the 2nd highest annual rate since 1957 and a ridership increase of 34% since 1995.
- Public transit is a $57 billion industry, employing nearly 400,000 people in the public and private sector.
- Across the country, public transportation-served areas save 865 million hours in travel time, 450 million gallons of fuel, and $21 billion of expenses every year, in congestion reduction alone.
- Every $1 we invest in public transportation generates $4 in returns; every $1 billion we invest in public transit creates and sustains 36,000 jobs.
- Households that use public transportation can save more than $9,700 a year.
- Between 2000 and 2009, the rate of national bus fleets using alternative fuels increased from 9% to 29%, and some towns have developed 100% sustainable public transportation.
- A bus with just 7 passengers is more fuel-efficient than the average single-occupant car; a fully occupied bus is 6x more fuel-efficient than a single-occupant car, and a fully occupied train is 15x more fuel-efficient.
Don’t take this the wrong way; we love cars, and want you to love driving your car as much as possible. But your life, your health, and the health of our planet are also important, and we all need to do our part.
How to use this Information
Whether you use public transportation or not, accidents still happen, and what’s worse than spending hours stuck in traffic is driving around in a damaged vehicle. If you’re looking for auto body repair Denver, look no further than Accurate Auto Body. Come in for auto body repair consulting, dent and hail repair, or any other issue you have with your motor vehicle. Give us a call at (303) 344-2212 or contact us online.
What’s your preferred form of public transportation?
