# Presentation: 037625

**Briefing for the**
**National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission**
**June 20, 2007**

- Transit Finance in the United States

## Transit System Overview

- 640 Agencies in Urbanized Areas (2004)
- 547 Reporting to the National Transit Database
- 1,215 Agencies in Rural Areas (2000)
- 4,836 FTA-funded “special service” providers (2002)

**Notes:**

The nation’s transit system includes transit agencies in both urban and rural areas, as well as other, mostly private sector, “special service” providers for the elderly and disabled.   Of the 640 urban area agencies reporting to the NTD in 2004, 93 received reporting waivers, leaving 547 filing complete reports to the NTD.   Additionally, the last-available surveys of rural agencies and special service providers found 1,215 rural agencies and 4,836 special service providers.

## 1,042 Transit Modal Systems

- * - Other includes: Trolleybus, Jitney, Público, Aerial Tramway, Alaska Railroad, Automated Guideway, Cable Car, Inclined Plane, and Monorail

**Notes:**
In 2004, the 547 agencies reporting to the NTD had 1,042 modal systems serving urbanized areas.    As you can se from the chart most of these modal systems provided motorbus or demand response services.  There were a total of 60 modal systems providing heavy rail, commuter rail, and light rail services.

## 126,111 Vehicles in the Urban Transit Fleet

- In 2000 there were 19,185 Rural Vehicles.
- In 2002 there were 37,720 FTA special service vehicles.

**Notes:**
In 2004, there were 126,111 vehicles in urbanized areas compared with 93,783 in 1995.  The Community Transportation Association of America found that there 19,185 rural vehicles in 2000 and FTA estimated that there were 37,720 special service vehicles, also in 2000, of which slightly less than half were funded by FTA.  These rural and special service vehicles are in addition to the number of vehicles reported to the NTD.   

## Urban Ridership

- Rail modes account for a significantly higher percentage of passenger miles traveled than unlinked passenger trips.

**Notes:**
In 2004 there were 8.9 billion unlinked passenger trips on transit and 46.5 billion passenger miles traveled. The distribution of ridership varies somewhat depending on whether it is viewed from a trip or passenger miles traveled perspective.  For example, commuter rail trips are on average considerably longer than the trips made by other modes.   Rail modes accounted for 40% of unlinked passenger trips, but 55% of passenger miles traveled.

## Growth in Transit Ridership

- From 1995 to 2004 passenger miles traveled on light rail and demand response systems grew the most rapidly among the major modes.
- The Vanpool mode (not shown), grew by 147% from a very small base.

- 23% Growth in Total Ridership from 1995 to 2004

**Notes:**
Transit ridership as measured by passenger miles traveled was 23 percent higher in 2004 than in 1995.  among the major modes, the largest increases were on light rail and demand response systemd.  Vanpool, not shown, grew by 147% from a small base.h 

## Sources of Urban Ridership Growth 1995-2004

- Nearly half of the growth in total Transit Passenger Miles from 1995 to 2004 has come from the Heavy Rail mode.

**Notes:**
Nearly half of the growth in total Transit Passenger Miles from 1995 to 2004 has come from the Heavy Rail.  Heavy rail grew from 28 to 31 percent of all passenger miles.

## Transit Expenditures

- Total expenditures in 2004: $38 billion

**Notes:**
Chapter 6 looks at how transit funds are spent and the sources from which transit agencies received their funds. This pie chart shows how transit funds were spent in 2004.  Total transit expenditures in 2004 were $38 billion, an increase of 52% since 1997
Of the $38 billion spent for transit in 2004,
$12.6 billion (33.2%) was for capital investments;
$33.4 billion (35.4%) was for operating expenses;
$5.0 billion (13.2%) was for vehicle maintenance expenses;
$2.7 billion (7.1%) was non-vehicle maintenance expenses;
$4.2 billion (11.1%) was for general administrative expenses.

## Transit Expenditures

- Transit spending in 2004, relative to 1997:
- Total: $38.0 billion, up 66%
- Capital $12.6 billion, up 65%

**Notes:**
This chart shows how transit expenditures have increased over the TEA-21 period. Total transit expenditures have increased by 66 percent since 1997 totaling $38 billion in 2004.  Spending on capital investment was $12.6 billion in 2004, a 65 percent increase over 1997. 

## Transit Expenditures

- Transit Capital spending in 2004, relative to 1997:
- Federal: $4.9 billion, up 48.8%
- State and Local:	$7.7 billion, up 108.1%

**Notes:**
In 2004 Federal funding for transit was $4.9 billion, up almost 50 percent from 1997.  State and local government funding for transit increased by even more - by 108 percent.

## Transit Revenue Sources

- 2004 Available Transit Funds:  $39.5 B

**Notes:**
In 2004, $39.5 billion was generated by all levels of government and transit systems in 2004 to be used for transit.   Of the $39.5 billion $7.0 billi.on (17.7%) was from the Federal government;
$7.8 billion (19.7%) was from State governments; $13.6 billion (34.6%) was from Local governments;
$23.6 billion (28.0%) was from passenger fares and other system-generated sources

## Transit Capital Revenue Sources

- 2004 Available Capital Funds:  $12.6 B

**Notes:**
In 2004, $39.5 billion was generated by all levels of government and transit systems in 2004 to be used for transit.   Of the $39.5 billion $7.0 billi.on (17.7%) was from the Federal government;
$7.8 billion (19.7%) was from State governments; $13.6 billion (34.6%) was from Local governments;
$23.6 billion (28.0%) was from passenger fares and other system-generated sources

## Transit Operating and Maintenance Revenue Sources

- 2004 Available Operating and Maintenance Funds:  $26.9 billion

**Notes:**
In 2004, $39.5 billion was generated by all levels of government and transit systems in 2004 to be used for transit.   Of the $39.5 billion $7.0 billi.on (17.7%) was from the Federal government;
$7.8 billion (19.7%) was from State governments; $13.6 billion (34.6%) was from Local governments;
$23.6 billion (28.0%) was from passenger fares and other system-generated sources

## Transit Revenue Sources

- 2004 Available funds by Revenue Source

## Federal Transit Administration Programs