Federal Transit Spending Under Scrutiny as Ridership Remains Below Pre-Pandemic Levels

Federal transit funding has climbed to record highs while bus and rail commuting continues to lag below pre-pandemic levels, raising questions about the effectiveness of billions in government spending, according to a new analysis from the Committee to Unleash Prosperity.

The report, authored by senior fellow Wendell Cox, highlights a growing disconnect between increased federal transit investment and declining ridership trends—a gap that has widened as remote work reshapes traditional commuting patterns across the United States.

“Transit’s commute market share in the U.S. has dropped from 12% in 1960 to under 4% in 2024,” Cox told Fox News Digital. The analysis found that only about one in 25 American workers currently commute by mass transit, while three times as many now work remotely.

The federal transit program traces its origins to the 1960s, when it was established with the goals of expanding mobility for low-income residents and reducing traffic congestion and air pollution. Despite steadily growing federal support over the decades, transit usage has moved in the opposite direction.

During the same period, approximately 88 million more Americans have begun commuting by car compared to 1960, alongside a 17 million increase in remote workers. This shift reflects fundamental changes in how Americans travel and work that may not be addressed by current transit funding models.

The analysis points to practical limitations that make transit less competitive with automobiles. Travel time represents a significant barrier, with the average one-way commute taking about 26 minutes by car compared to 48 minutes by public transit. This disparity stems from transit’s inherent challenges, including the need to walk to stops, waiting times, and making transfers between routes or systems.

Job accessibility emerges as another critical factor in the report. Researchers examined how many workplaces a person could physically reach within a 30-minute commute across different transportation modes. The findings were stark: across the nation’s 50 largest metropolitan areas, workers can access approximately 58 times as many potential job locations by car as they can by transit.

This accessibility gap persists even in New York City, which boasts the country’s most extensive public transportation network. The door-to-door convenience of automobile travel provides inherent advantages that even well-funded transit systems struggle to match.

The report comes at a time when transit agencies nationwide face significant financial challenges. Many systems received substantial federal support through pandemic relief packages, but as those funds expire, they confront difficult decisions about service levels and fare structures in an environment where ridership remains below 2019 levels.

Urban policy experts note that transit’s role varies significantly across different metropolitan areas. While some dense cities like New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. maintain relatively robust transit usage, many Sun Belt cities and suburban areas were designed around automobile travel, making transit improvements more challenging.

The findings raise fundamental questions about federal transportation policy priorities. With national debt at historic highs and changing work patterns potentially representing a permanent shift rather than a temporary pandemic effect, Cox suggests it may be time to reassess how Washington allocates transit funding.

“The question isn’t whether public transportation has a role—it clearly does,” Cox writes. “Rather, we should be asking if federal spending aligns with how Americans actually travel today and whether current allocation formulas deliver the best value for taxpayers and commuters alike.”

The report stops short of calling for specific funding cuts but instead urges policymakers to consider more flexible approaches that reflect regional differences and changing mobility needs in a post-pandemic economy.