AARP Hearing Center
Background
Public transportation provided along a fixed route allows people to get around by bus and rail at designated stops and specific times. It is the backbone of ensuring mobility in urban areas. Intercity trains and buses, commuter trains, subways, light rail, and city buses are the most common examples of this type of service.
Over 5 billion trips were taken on public transportation in 2022. Seventy percent of these trips were on fixed-route systems. Adults age 50 and older account for 21 percent of all public transportation trips taken in 2022.
Some public transportation systems present barriers to older adults. Merely getting to public transportation can be a challenge for those with physical limitations. As with many public transportation users, people age 50 and older often cite limited frequency of available trips and extended travel time as obstacles to transit use for local trips. Public transportation agencies can tailor their services to better meet the needs of older adults, for example, through accessible vehicles and stops and the use of larger fonts on route maps.
Public transportation safety in public health emergencies: The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the importance of funding for public transportation during public health crises. The $69.5 billion in emergency federal funding in 2020 and 2021 enabled providers to maintain proper staffing and service levels during the pandemic and implement safety measures. This has been especially important with ridership being down since pre-pandemic levels, resulting in lower revenues for service providers. In August 2024, weekly ridership on public transportation had still only reached 75 percent of pre-pandemic levels. The pandemic underscored the need for stable funding solutions so that providers can deliver frequent and reliable service to draw riders back to taking public transportation.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION PROVIDED ALONG FIXED ROUTES: Policy
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION PROVIDED ALONG FIXED ROUTES: Policy
Increased investment
Policymakers should expand and improve affordable and accessible public transportation programs. Service providers should be provided sufficient funding to offer service levels that meet demand and encourage ridership (see also Livable Communities Financing).
States should:
- maintain and increase investment in improved public transit systems.
- actively promote the use of public transportation.
- require public transit systems to implement and enhance safety regulations and mechanisms.
- encourage transit authorities to reduce fares for people with disabilities and older adults with low incomes, including policies to implement free public transit where appropriate.
Congress should provide state and local governments with incentives to expand and improve public transportation. It should support expanded public transportation access for older adults and people with disabilities.
Congress should also:
- appropriate sufficient transit funds for capital assistance, operating subsidies, specialized transit, rural assistance, employment-based transportation, and research;
- address state and local budget challenges associated with recessions by providing transit systems serving large urban areas the short-term flexibility to use federal transit formula, discretionary, and stimulus funding for either capital or operating expenses; and
- provide funding for capital investments in public transportation, including for New Starts/Small Starts, on par with that provided for highways.
The Federal Transit Administration should provide additional credit to New Starts/Small Starts projects that provide or maintain affordable housing within one-half mile of stations. Federal funding formulas should also credit applicants for transit investment plans that are tied to transit-supportive land-use and economic development plans.
Funding in public health emergencies
Public transportation providers should receive sufficient funding to ensure a clean and safe operating environment for employees and riders during public health emergencies.