Gas Prices Send Surge of Riders to Mass Transit

New York Times ^ | May 10, 2008 | Clifford Kraus

[Lorianne]

With the price of gas approaching $4 a gallon, more commuters are abandoning their cars and taking the train or bus instead. Mass transit systems around the country are seeing standing-room-only crowds on bus lines where seats were once easy to come by. Parking lots at many bus and light rail stations are suddenly overflowing, with commuters in some towns risking a ticket or tow by parking on nearby grassy areas and in vacant lots.

“In almost every transit system I talk to, we’re seeing very high rates of growth the last few months,” said William W. Millar, president of the American Public Transportation Association.

“It’s very clear that a significant portion of the increase in transit use is directly caused by people who are looking for alternatives to paying $3.50 a gallon for gas.”

Some cities with long-established public transit systems, like New York and Boston, have seen increases in ridership of 5 percent or more so far this year. But the biggest surges — of 10 to 15 percent or more over last year — are occurring in many metropolitan areas in the South and West where the driving culture is strongest and bus and rail lines are more limited.

[devere]

I use 1 gallon of gas for my round-trip commute to work. If gas reaches $20 per gallon I’ll consider switching to the train.

[Paleo Conservative]

I thought the DemocRATS always wanted people to stop driving their own cars and use mass transit.

[BARLF]

That’s one way to bring down the price if enough people start doing that. Airline fares keep rising many will stop traveling,etc.

[gunservative]

The same New Yorkers and Bostonians who spend about 50% of their income on housing.....

[Amendment10]

Mass transit will work for many people. And I'm keeping an eye on the following development in non-corn ethanol production.

Non-corn ethanol

Also, there's indication that people might get as much, or more, bang per buck for their gas dollars with gas / ethanol mixtures.

Gas-competitive gas / ethanol mixtures

Finally, I was surprised by the introduction of a machine for making home-made ethanol.

EFUEL100

But watch out for fines for violating biofuel regulations.

Fines for violating biofuel regulations

[goldstategop]

In Europe, every one uses the train and subway systems to go to where they want to go. The mass transit systems are highly developed, reliable and cheap. Gas costs are far higher than in the United States where the primary means of transportation is the private automobile.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[stravinskyrules]

If you’re that close, you should try commuting on a bicycle.

[eyedigress]

I went from 40 gallons a week to 3. I got lucky.

[jmcenanly]

It is not just about money, but time as well. If I commute to and from my job by car, I can usually be there in about 45 minutes, 30 if I take the expressway. If I take the bus system, my travel time alone takes about 90 minutes. This is if the bus service is operating at peak efficiency. Of course, the buses rarely do this. There is also the tendency to turn off the air conditioning when the bus is stalled in traffic, heating the inside of the bus.
There is also the matter of wait time. The buses arrive and depart from any given stop at 30 minute intervals . If I am a little bit tardy in finishing up at work, I have to wait for the next bus. With a car, I can leave when I need to.

[HerrBlucher]

I use 1/4 gallon. If gas goes up to 20 dollars a gallon I will still ride my motorcycle to work, and laugh my head off at all those suckers on the train as I, and other bikers, have the road to ourselves.....yeeeehawwwwwwwwwwwwww!

[devere]

“I will still ride my motorcycle to work”

I once had a colleague who rode his motorcycle to work. One day a large dog jumped out of the bushes in front of him, and the crash broke his leg. He asked the attending policeman “Is the dog dead”? The policeman said “Yes”. My colleague responded “Good! Or else I’d ask to borrow your gun!”.

[NoLibZone]

LMAO!

It should send a surge of Americans to riot in the capital until they drill more, allow offshore drilling, Build more Nukes and ease restrictions on building refineries.

EVERY founder is spinning in their graves at the spinelessness of the American People.

Even the illegals have more of the American spirit then we do.

[KarlInOhio]

Gas coststaxes are far higher than in the United States where the primary means of transportation is the private automobile.

There, fixed that. Just about the entire difference between US and European gasoline prices are the higher taxes the Euros charge.

Currently I use about 1 gallon of gas for my round trip to work. If I were to take the bus I would have to walk a half mile from my house to the stop, a mile from the final stop to my office, the trip each way would take an hour on the road instead of twenty minutes, and would cost $3.50 for the round trip (less if I bought a $45 monthly pass). The 30 cents extra the trip costs to drive is worth the convenience.

[Lijahsbubbe]

I thought the DemocRATS always wanted people to stop driving their own cars and use mass transit.

Call me tin foil, but I think that's what both parties want. It's like taking away a man's horse.

[gogov]

I use 1 gallon of gas for my round-trip commute to work. If gas reaches $20 per gallon I’ll consider switching to the train.

I put $75 in the tank this morning. At the end of the day I had a little over 1/8 of a tank.

Tomorrow it won't be so bad since it is Saturday. It will only take $15 to fill the gas can for the lawn mower, weed-whacker and leaf blower.

Despite your $4.00 a day habbit, for many the gas prices are a serious problem.

And unless you are completely insulated from the economy, you will feel the effects of these prices in many ways other than what it costs you to get to and from work.

[goldstategop]

There are maintainance and insurance costs for a car. With mass transit you can eliminate those expenses. And of course avoid having to fill up your gas tank. There are areas where you will need a car because mass transit doesn't exist. But in every American big city there is usually a mass transit option available.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[machenation]

$200/ barrel is forcasted. oil last week was $116.00+or-, and gas on the east coast was about $3.30 for reg. I guess $200 will be about $7.50/gal and milk will be about $6.00
YIKES

[pepsionice]

Looking for 2013...five years ahead...I’d bet on $300 a barrel. The US economy will stall half-way through the McCain 4-year era. I don’t see lower-class survival at $7 a gallon on fuel and a massive minimum wage shift will occur, to push the economy even further down. Those with kids around fourteen right now...start preparing the kid for the mental idea of no car at sixteen. If they are lucky...they might get a car for college...but at $7 a gallon...$150 a month for fuel won’t go far.

I would say the guys who are working on hydrogen-run cars....ought to have alot of momentum behind them now. If they had such a car for $50k on the market...alot of us would seriously look at it now.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

The main thing wrong with public transit is the public. At the very least, you have to put up with a lot of very rude behaviour.