Throughout our time talking about Project Connect, we’ve been clear that an investment in transit is an investment in equity.
What we mean by that is that public transportation ridership is heavily weighted toward low-income communities and people of color. And so when we improve our services, those benefits go toward the people who need them the most.
In addition, our country’s history has resulted in a landscape tilted against Black communities, who experience worse health outcomes, higher levels of air pollution and lower levels of public services overall. Good access to strong transit can help combat those issues and more.
Some of the most obvious benefits of transit are financial. It’s expensive to own, operate and maintain a car after all, and a monthly bus pass costs just $41.25.
Some of those are safety-related. Traveling by public transit is 10 times safer than by car.
Traffic safety also affects health outcomes because people riding transit are in fewer collisions and therefore suffer fewer traffic-related injuries. Transit also brings improvements to the overall health of Black people and other communities of color in a variety of ways:
- Transit takes cars off the roads, reducing air pollution from vehicles.
- Transit combines with other active forms of transportation like walking and biking to and from stops or stations, enabling riders to get more exercise.
- Transit connects people to medical centers, hospitals and doctors’ offices, giving more people access to regular healthcare appointments.
- Transit increases access to healthier food options as well.
Public transportation can be a great equalizer for all communities and historically has been essential for Black Americans.
