APTA: Most commuters view public transit as key to their lifestyle

By Julie Sneider, senior associate editor

Nearly 80 percent of commuters surveyed in a recent study said they view public transit as the "backbone" of a lifestyle that includes current and future modes of transportation and technologies, according to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

A majority of commuters consider a range of public transportation modes as their options. They include trains, buses, ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft, bike/car-share, autonomous vehicles and scooters, APTA officials said yesterday in a conference call with news media.

APTA held the media event to release its new report, "Transformation of the American Commuter," which is based on the results of qualitative focus group and a quantitative nationwide survey with a strong focus on millennials. The research was conducted by Anazalone Liszt Grove for APTA. The study also includes additional data by the National Academy of Sciences and other data sources.

"It has never been more clear that the time of relying on your own car as your only option for getting around is over," APTA President and Chief Executive Officer Paul Skoutelas said while announcing the study's results.

Public transportation has been disrupted by new technology, data capabilities and business platforms, according to the report.

"Technological change and generational change will make people more likely to use multitransit options and will allow the transit industry to reach new users," the report states. "For example, new technologies and travel options are expected to reduce the affinity for car ownership, particularly as younger travelers are more open to using multiple modes to commute."

Those changes will not — as some public transportation critics claim — reduce the need for public transit, according to the study and APTA officials. Rather, the changes mean that transit agencies will have to adapt to become "mobility managers" for commuters. Managing mobility will be key for public transit agencies in the future when commuters have the option to take a train, bus, bicycle, autonomous vehicle or any combination of modes to get to their destination, the report states.

"Customers expect to be in control of their mobility choices, so it's up to us to prove our relevance," said Gary Thomas, president and executive director of Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), during the news conference.

In response to changing trends, DART has updated its GoPass mobile ticketing app to deliver enhanced travel planning tools, a "cash-to-mobile" option to help DART reach consumers that don't use credit cards to pay for transit fares.

Over the next few months, DART plans to roll out an app that merges a range of transit options — rail, bus, carpooling, scooters, ride-hailing — into one app for commuters to use.

"You can go to the app and tell us what is important to you — time, distance, cost — and the app will plan your trip," Thomas said. "It will tell you the options and you can pay for your trip on the app."

In citing the study's key takeaway, the APTA report states that consumers view public transit as pivotal to the future of mobility.

"The reasons are clear," the report concludes. "Public transportation can move more people efficiently in less space; as travel options continue to grow, consumers will need a way to make the various travel choices clear and routine; and as consumers recognize growing income inequality and shrinking data privacy, the need to protect the public interest and serve the vulnerable will grow, as well."