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According to The Washington Post, despite the drop in gas prices mass transit ridership is still up:
Americans drove 4.4 percent less, or almost 11 billion fewer miles, in September compared with September 2007, the 11th straight month of declining driving, according to the Federal Highway Administration. In early July, the national average price for a gallon of gas was $4.11, but it fell steadily through the quarter, dropping to $3.63 at the end of September.There are a lot of reasons to include funds for mass transit in the stimulus; mass transit is better for the environment than cars, it's cheaper than gas, and expanding it will create jobs. But perhaps most importantly, there's a demand for it. The problem is, like everyone else, transit organizations are suffering from the credit crisis and are unable to meet their costs, and so they're cutting service even as more and more people are taking advantage. The vague details of the "new New Deal" unveiled on Saturday contained strikingly little about how mass transit factors into the stimulus package, which is disappointing, although one assumes that any effort to help states meet their financial needs will also benefit transit companies suffering shortfalls.Even though pump prices continue to plummet, transit officials said riders are sticking to buses and trains. Preliminary data for October show the upward trend continuing. In Los Angeles, rail ridership jumped nearly 17 percent in October compared with the same period last year. Loudoun County's commuter bus ridership rose 25 percent in October over the previous year and more than 25 percent for the first 13 days of November from last year. The national average price for a gallon of gas was $1.73 yesterday.
--A. Serwer
