Gas Prices And Transit Ridership Unrelated

Ridership on mass transit systems across the U.S. seem to be slipping, despite significantly higher gas prices.

1 minute read

October 7, 2004, 11:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


Record-high U.S. gasoline prices have failed to sharply boost use of mass transit, with ridership actually dropping in some of the nation's highest-cost markets... The slack demand is prompting transit officials to question how high gas prices must go to break the bond between U.S. commuters and their cars. A Chicago Transit Authority spokesman put the breaking point at $3 a gallon, while a Los Angeles County transit official put the figure at $10 for his auto-addicted area."

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Thanks to Chris Steins

Tuesday, October 5, 2004 in CBS News

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