Majority of Americans Support Government-Funded Public Transportation
Photo: Green Lane
The latest HNTB survey indicates that most Americans place a high priority on public transportation. And they think that the government should pay for this service. 1,019 Americans 18 years old and older participated in the study, which occurred between Aug. 10-13 of this year.
The results
86 percent of Americans think that the government should fund public transportation. Although urban participants (92 percent) were the primary supporters of this position, suburban and rural residents were also on board (85 percent of suburban and 79 percent of rural participants).
“It is remarkable the extent to which people across the nation, living in every type of community setting and across all age groups agree,” said Kim Slaughter, HNTB national transit/rail sector leader and senior vice president. Many Americans equate public transportation with independence. It gives them extended options for healthcare, housing, jobs, schools, entertainment, and other areas of life.
Currently, 83 percent of Americans have access to public transportation, as the survey revealed. Bus and ride-share services were the most used forms of public transit. Though some participants said they use subways, commuter rails, and/or streetcars to get around town.
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Photo: RideGuru
The implications
As Slaughter put it, government officials and transit companies should pay attention to these significant stats. Especially since many of the survey participants fall into the younger adult bracket of the U.S. population, a demographic that is becoming the majority when it comes to paying taxes and voting.
It will be interesting to see if and how the government acts upon the HNTB survey results. Even though many cities are placing more of an emphasis on self-driving cars than public transportation, it will probably be a while before the former becomes as cost-efficient as the latter.
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News Source: STL.News
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