Transit Spending Nears $1.00 per Passenger Mile in USA
Demographia/PublicPurpose/RentalCarTour Updates
Today the US Bureau of the Census released its government finance
estimates for 2003-4. Total transit spending rose to $44.3 billion,
against commercial revenues (including fares, or user feees) of $9.8
billion, for a total subsidy of $34.5 billion.
By comparison, Census reports government spending on highways,
principally from user fees, at less than $120 billion. Highways account
for more than 98 percent of travel and much freight volume.
Total transit subsidies since 1960 now exceed $600 billion (2004$)
Expenditures per passenger mile have risen to $0.95, more than four
times the gross expenditure per passenger mile of automobiles. The data
can be reviewed in the following tables...
Cost of Driving and Transit Since 1960
http://www.publicpurpose.com/ut-drvg1960.htm
Transit Costs and Service Levels Since 1930
http://www.publicpurpose.com/ut-transit$1930.htm
Transit Subsidies Since 1960
http://www.publicpurpose.com/ut-ussby.htm