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Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) recently reported the results of its Urban Mobility Study, showing that public transit helps reduce traffic delays and costs in the nation’s 75 largest urban areas.

In 2001, regular rail and bus service in the most congested cities saved drivers more than one billion hours in travel time. Without transit, nationwide delays would have increased nearly 30 percent, costing residents in studied areas an additional $21.2 billion in lost time and fuel, according to the study.

TTI has conducted the study annually since 1982. Between 1982 and 2001, the average annual delay time per person rose from 16 hours to 60 hours. During the same period, the extra time needed for rush hour travel tripled. The cost of congestion in the 75 studied cities totaled nearly $70 billion.