Economic Impact of Public Transportation Investment: 2014 Update

Public transportation services are important in many ways. They provide mobility, can shape land use and development patterns, generate jobs and enable economic growth, and support public policies regarding energy use, air quality and carbon emissions. All of these characteristics can be important when considering the benefits, costs and optimal investment levels for public transportation. This report focuses solely on one aspect – how investment in public transportation affects the economy in terms of employment, wages and business income. It specifically addresses the issue of how various aspects of the economy are affected by decisions made regarding investment in public transportation. This report updates an earlier report – Economic Impact of Public Transportation Investment, prepared by Cambridge Systematics, Inc. and Economic Development Research Group, for the American Public Transportation Association, 2009. Key findings are organized in terms of three categories: (1) longer-term effects of investment in public transportation, which enables a variety of economic efficiency and productivity impacts to unfold as a consequence of changes in travel times, costs and access factors; (2) the effects of spending money on public transportation, which creates immediate jobs and income by supporting manufacturing, construction and public transportation operation activities; and (3) conclusions regarding the interpretation and policy consideration of economic impacts associated with public transportation investment.

• Record URL:
  http://www.apta.com/resources/reportsandpublications/Documents/Economic-Impact-Public-Transportation-Investment-APTA.pdf
• 
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract used with permission from American Public Transportation Association.
• Corporate Authors:

  Economic Development Research Group, Incorporated

  2 Oliver Street, 9th Floor
  Boston, MA  United States  02109

  American Public Transportation Association

  1666 K Street, NW, Suite 1100
  Washington, DC  United States  20006
• Authors:
  • Weisbrod, Glen
  • Cutler, Derek
  • Duncan, Chandler
• Publication Date: 2014-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Photos; Tables;
• Pagination: 55p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Businesses; Economic impacts; Employment; Income; Investments; Productivity; Public transit; Wages
• Subject Areas: Economics; Public Transportation; I10: Economics and Administration;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01527168
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 30 2014 3:33PM