US Transit Ridership Rises as Gas Tops $4.50 Amid Iran War

5 articles · Updated · Grist · May 18

Gas above $4.50 a gallon nationwide is pushing more Americans onto buses and trains, with San Francisco Muni posting its highest ridership since the pandemic in March.
California has seen some of the sharpest gains as pump prices average more than $6.15 a gallon; San Diego transit said March ridership rose 6.5% from a year earlier.
Washington-area Metro, Valley Metro in Texas, plus Amtrak and Brightline also reported increases, though some agencies said it is still too early to tie the gains directly to fuel costs.
Research suggests sustained fuel spikes can lift transit use modestly—gas rising 10% over 13 months increased light-rail ridership 1.2% and bus use 0.8%, with bigger jumps after prices crossed $4.
Most Americans still have limited alternatives to driving because of car-centered development and uneven transit funding; as of 2017, 87% of US trips were by car.

As record gas prices push riders onto buses, are transit agencies themselves being driven toward a financial cliff?

Beyond this temporary crisis, what will it take to permanently break America’s deep-rooted dependency on cars?