December 12, 2007

Good Commuter; Bad Commuter

Here are a couple commuting statistics from this longer list:

4.5: Percentage of Americans who use public transit to get to work.

88: Percentage of Americans who drive to work alone.

Most days I am a "good commuter" as I join the 4.5 % that use public transit.

Today, though, I am a "bad commuter"; part of the 88 % who drove to work alone.

Am I really good when I ride public transit? Well, I certainly do appreciate the near 80% subsidy I get when riding the bus. It strikes me that a better definition of "good commuter" would one who rides public transportation and pays
the full tab.

Do the folks working in the construction, auto and oil industries consider me bad when I use their services more intensely by driving to work alone?

Probably not.

Good and bad are clearly a reflection of the lenses you are looking through.

NB: I fully support eliminating subsidies for both types of commuters.

Posted by Steve on December 12, 2007
Comments

50% of the cost of the road-driving infrastructure is not covered by taxes and fees. So you might want to rethink your position on subsidies. My sense is that 50% of road subsidy is higher than 80% of bus. Still, that level of subsidy is variable. In DC, 50% of bus costs are covered by fares, 80%+ for the subway. But that doesn't include covering the cost of building the system.

Posted by Richard Layman at December 13, 2007 6:05 AM
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