New APTA Report Highlights Economic Benefit of Transit

The American Public Transit Association (APTA) released a new demographic study on public transit. The report Who Rides Public Transportation demonstrates how integral public transit is to the economy by connecting riders to employers and to retail and entertainment venues.

The study reports that 87 percent of all transit trips have a direct impact on local economies, with the following breakdown:

* 49 percent of all transit trips are for traveling to and from work,
* 21 percent are for shopping, and
* 17 percent are for recreational spending.