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Braden Beasley
Davis
Government 4
October 26, 2015

Public Transportation Funding

Imagine an America with a better economy, happier people, and a cleaner environment.
With one small, easy step of increasing federal funding for public transportation systems, we can
achieve this America. Increased funding of public transportation systems would greatly benefit
America. Public transportation systems help to clean and repair our environment, create jobs for
millions, save the country copious amounts of money, while allowing more people the
opportunity to go more places. With so many benefits and so few drawbacks, it is hard to
understand why the Federal government has not increased funding to these systems or why a bill
has not been passed to mandate increased funding.
In 2013, the ground passenger transportation industry produced a GDP of over $54
billion dollars (Bureau of Economic Analysis) . A GDP is a gross domestic product. This means
that excluding flights and trips over water, the transportation industry produced $54 billion
dollars for America. A study also shows that advanced public transportation systems (railways)
can help reduce Americas dependence on petroleum imports. (U.S. Dept. of Transportation)
With such a massive industry, increasing funding would inherently increase profits. In 1999,
experts estimated that America as a country lost $78 billion dollars due to urban congestion and
traffic. (Washington D.C. , Mass Transit: Bus) Due to the fact that public transportation and mass
transit removes virtually all traffic problems, public transportation could solve this problem and
save time and money for the country. A recent study has shown that homes near public

transportation or mass transit systems tend to have a higher value on the market than the same
home not near these facilities. (Federal Register) This means that although there would be a tax
on the public, the public would receive benefits later on (increased house sale prices, less traffic,
and more accessibility to places). On top of this, all of the different public transportation systems
create about one million new jobs each year, heavily impacting the employment rate in areas.
(Pillion, D) If more funding were to be put into these systems, these benefits would continue to
grow. More areas would have public transportation, resulting in more jobs (and more
accessibility to jobs further away). The public ground transportation industry would also be
expected to have a larger GDP if there was more money to spend on upgrades or maintenance.
These implementations obviously benefit the American economy, and a strong economy makes
for more satisfied citizens.
In 2013, a study asked how many people travelled to work using public transportation,
and the result was only about five percent of workers used public transportation as method of
transportation. (McKenzie, B) The reason behind this is that many people admitted that they
enjoyed the personal space of their own vehicle, and the luxury of it over a public transportation
vehicle. Unfortunately, most of the time extra funding is not available to spend on amenities like
leather seats, headrests, or premium sound systems because the necessary technology to build
and sustain a public transportation system costs so much money. People against public
transportation also said that they felt that some forms of public transportation were unsafe. Some
of the people on these public services could be trying to harm other people or could be terrorists.
However, lack of federal funds is one of the largest obstacles for improving public transportation
security. (Washington D.C. Mass Transit: Federal) If these systems were able to receive
substantial federal funding, they would be able to eventually improve the aesthetics and

amenities within. Public transportation systems offer the public the means to travel to nearby
places (sometimes far places) without having a vehicle of their own. This is a priceless amenity
to college students who dont have a vehicle. However, many colleges add a thousand or two
thousand dollar fee on to their college tuition because of this, and it can make a big difference in
how much a student pays. If public transportation was funded better and used more, these prices
would lower and help reduce college costs for students. (U.S. Department of Education) While
all of these things benefit the public in direct ways, increased funding of public transportation
also offers a hidden benefit.
Proper usage of public transportation can diminish our carbon footprint and restore Earth
back to a healthier state. When a subway carries more than thirty five passengers, it is seven
times more efficient than an automobile. (Washington D.C.: Energy, Economy, And ) Commuter
rails emit one-third the amount of carbon dioxide that an automobile emits. (Hodges, T) Most
forms of public transportation when used by many people are far more efficient than personal
automobiles. Highway transportation accounts for seventy five percent of the energy used in the
transportation industry, but has the potential to be the most energy efficient method of
transportation. (National Academy of Sciences) Due to poor funding, highways are unable to
reach that energy efficiency area, and our environment worsens because of it.
Some may argue that the cost of public transportation is too high and that the money
given is not evenly distributed. Large amounts of money must be spent to repair or to upgrade
existing infrastructure, but these amounts of money can still only repair or upgrade a small
section of a transportation system. Public transportation creates jobs and increases house values
(Federal Register). This is known as a unearned profit, which means the profit is not earned, yet.
The creation of jobs would stimulate a local economy and increased house prices may stimulate

the housing market in the local area. This proves that there are guaranteed benefits when giving
funds to the public transportation systems. It is known that only twenty percent of federal funds
for ground transportation are spent on transit a year. This is a problem. Other programs like
advanced railways and subway systems require much larger amounts of money are not receiving
ample funding for projects. This can be fixed by implementing a rider on this bill or creating a
new bill to elect a committee that controls how funds are spent. After the passing of this law,
funding would be secure and would be well managed, which would also increase the ratio of
funding to improvement because the funds will be made sure to go to the facilities in need at the
time, rather than being spent on less useful services,
In conclusion, passing this bill to increase Federal funding to public transportation
systems would create many positive effects for America. From making a huge impact on the
environment by reducing emissions and increasing efficiency to helping stimulate local
economies by providing jobs and transportation, this bill needs to be passed. A simple action of
implementing a tax and raising money for these systems can help improve America.

Works Cited
Books
Washington D.C. Mass Transit: Bus Rapid Transit Shows Promise. U.S. General Accounting

Office. 2001 10
Washington D.C. Mass Transit: Federal action could help transit agencies address security
challenges. General Accounting Office. 2002. 2-5
Washington D.C. Energy, The economy, and Mass Transit. United States Congress, Office of
Technology Assessment October, 1975. 3
Young, Chuck A. Public Transit. Washington: Office, 1970. 1 Nov. 2012

Web Pages
Dept. of Transportation, U.S. "Advancing Railways." U.S. Department of Transportation, 21
Nov. 2014. https://cms.dot.gov/mission/sustainability/advancing-high-performance-rail
Environmental Protection Agency. "Transportation." Web. May. 2015
http://www3.epa.gov/otaq/url-fr.htm
Bureau of Economic Analysis. "Industry Data." U.S. Department of Commerce . Web. April.
2015 http://www.bea.gov/itable/
State of Delaware. Environmental Benefits of Riding Public Transit Division of Waste and
Hazardous Substances. c2010.
http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/dwhs/info/Pages/OzonePublicTrans.aspx

Federal Register. "Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform 267 in the Last Year." Web. September. 2015
https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/03/19/2015-03127/security-based-swapdata-repository-registration-duties-and-core-principles
U.S. Department of Education. Understanding College Costs. c2012.
http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/edcetera/college-campuses/
Periodicals / PDFs

McKenzie, Brian. "Who Drives to Work? Commuting by Automobile in

the United States: 2013 (2015): 1-2.
National Academy of Sciences. Real Prospects for Energy Efficiency in the Unites
States 2010. 122
Pillion, Dean. Public Transportation: Benefits for the 21st Century American Public
Transportation Association, 2007.
Fiscal Federalism in Action. Intergovernmental Challenges in Surface Transportation Funding
The Pew Charitable Trusts. Sept. 2014
National Transit Database. Policy Manual. 2014. 4
Hodges, Tina. Public Transportations Role in Responding to Climate Change Jan. 2009. 2