Billions of dollars are being poured into transit funding, yet ridership remains low, prompting a new report to question the return on investment. The report, released by the Committee to Unleash Prosperity, highlights a concerning disconnect between federal spending and the changing nature of commuting. While funding has reached record highs, bus and rail commuting are still below pre-pandemic levels, and the report suggests this may be due to structural flaws in how federal transit dollars are allocated.
Wendell Cox, a senior fellow with the group and the report's author, traces the federal transit program back to its 1960s origins, when it aimed to expand mobility for low-income residents and reduce traffic congestion and air pollution. However, since then, federal support has grown steadily, but transit's commuter share has declined. According to Cox, transit's market share in the U.S. has dropped from 12% in 1960 to under 4% in 2024. This is despite the fact that roughly 88 million more Americans now commute to work by car than in 1960, and three times as many Americans now work from home.
The report argues that transit struggles to compete with the automobile on speed and access. Generally, transit travel times are slower than commuting by car, with the average one-way commute taking about 26 minutes by car compared to 48 minutes by transit. The report also highlights disparities in job access, noting that drivers can typically access far more job locations than transit riders due to the direct, door-to-door nature of car travel. Across the nation's 50 largest metropolitan areas, workers can reach 58 times as many jobs by car as by transit.
These findings, Cox writes, underscore the need for a broader reassessment of federal transit policy. With federal debt at historic highs and remote work reshaping how Americans commute, Cox argues it may be time to rethink how Washington funds public transit. The question, he suggests, is not whether public transport has a role, but whether federal spending is aligned with how Americans actually travel today. The report invites discussion on the future of transit funding and the potential need for a reevaluation of federal policy.
