How To Fix Public Transit In The U.S. | CNBC Marathon

CNBC Marathon examines the growing list of problems that U.S. public transit is facing and potential solutions to fix them.

Public transit in the U.S. is notorious for being infrequent and unreliable. Americans had to wait 17 minutes on average to get on public transit in 2022, while 45% of Americans have no access to public transportation at all. And while the U.S. spends billions in funding every year, transits across the nation like the MTA, RTA and SEPTA are finding themselves in a fiscal crisis. Ultimately it’s the riders who are paying for the deficit.

Hybrid work has meant fewer riders on New York City's subway and a drop in fare revenue for the system's operator the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The number of paid weekly subway riders on the New York City subway averaged 3.6 million in June, according to the MTA, compared with daily ridership of almost 5.5 million in 2019. Inflation and transit crime have also impacted subway ridership.

One potential solution is Autonomous Rapid Transit: a cross between light rail and a city bus. Created by the CRRC in China, it’s a cost-effective alternative to Mass Rapid Transit.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
00:39 Why The U.S. Gave Up On Public Transit (Published July 2023)
13:10 Why The NYC Subway Is Such A Mess (Published September 2023)
27:34 How An Autonomous Train-Bus Hybrid Could Transform City Transit (Published February 2023)

Produced by: Juhohn Lee, Shawn Baldwin, Liam Mays
Additional Camera: Ryan Baker
Editorial Support: Dain Evans, Katie Brigham
Graphics by: Jason Reginato, Christina Locopo, Josh Kalven, Alex Wood, Mallory Brangan
Supervising Producer: Lindsey Jacobson, Jeniece Pettitt
Additional Editing by: Jack Hillyer
Additional Sources: TransitCenter, NBC News, SEPTA, RTA, LA Metro

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How To Fix Public Transit In The U.S. | CNBC Marathon

[Dangic]

I moved to Tokyo a few months ago and the train system here is as perfect as it can get.
This includes the civilized passengers riding the train, clean, quiet, nobody is talking on their phones, etc.

[scottfrazer]

If highways don’t have to be profitable, then neither does public transit

[quiet]

"Americans love cars." Largely because of marketing from auto manufacturers, subsidized by the government. Trains are pretty easy to love if you try.

[piku]

As a car owner who doesn’t like driving tbqh, I’d love a robust universal public transit and walkable cities across Canada and America. Screw car dependency culture. I wanna hear birds singing, the squirrels, see deer in cities, and smell fresh air.

[KJVirander]

I’m confused… how come highways don’t have to turn a profit but mass transit does?

[greg.anywhere]

I believe that true freedom of movement is when owning a car is an option, not a necessity.

[NightOwlTX]

It will change when society doesn't say "there isn't enough parking" to something more like "why are there so many cars"

Sincerely,
A Resident of Car-Dependant San Antonio

[aequitas]

There are three things you can do to make public transportation popular. Make it safe, reliable, and clean. If you can do those 3 things people will ride.

[luvlyerdj]

Why does public transit need to be profitable. Its a utility at the end of the day that millions of people depend on and adds value to surrounding businesses

[_framedlife]

the comments here is a prime example of why public transit is struggling. people in North America see public transit as welfare for the poor and would rather fund the most outrageous "out there" projects before taking a look at public transit. the car brain culture is engrained into people's mindsets and that needs to change before we see real improvements in transit service.

public transit in america is a joke compared to Europe and Asia. its an after thought for planners rather than planning projects around it. Even rural areas in Europe and Asia with lower population typically have better transit options compared to here.

Its ironic that the land of "freedom" that is US and Canada won't allow its people to choose between driving or any other means of transport.

there is no cohesive regional or state level transit planning. the way transit services are run is disjointed from what people really need from their transit providers.

people want frequent services in their area, more point to point services, and more importantly people want ease of use. you still can't just tap your phone or credit card in most North American transit services.

[kitkatjp]

Thank you for the video, CNBC.
I am living in US and public transit lover.
Hope it will be better.
One of saddest thing was US devastated street cars in public by auto lobbying? and now arguing SDGs, share economy and/or CO2 emission etc.
But I still gonna use public transit. :)

[SuperBomberman]

The transit is a symptom of too much zoning and parking restrictions. Get rid of parking minimums, get rid of onerous zoning codes (build taller and denser; get rid of arcane fire codes, etc). and the density of people in one area will then create the demand for public transit and more methods to move massive amounts of people.

[ronm]

Here in Texas where car is king the suburb roads are choked every day with parents taking kids to and from school while the school buses drive around empty.

[cinpeace]

There are none or not enough lobbying money for public transit.

[thezenarcher]

Poor quality transit service is a policy choice. The solution is simply funding transit to get to a state of good repair, and expand service periods, frequencies, and destinations. Transit is the most effective way to reduce personal transportation costs, roadway fatalities and carbon emissions.

[kirillboyko]

In the United States, public transport has an image problem. Buses are for the poor, cars are for the rich and successful, or aspiring to be that. You can invest whatever dollars in public transport, but without changing the public’s view of the transportation, the problem will inevitably reappear

[crecy]

I'm a Brit and I've read and watched a lot of information and discussion on this subject. From this side of the pond I can't see there's enough political will in America to do this, on both sides of your politics. Too little investment for too long and the longer that goes on the harder it is to turn it around. Public transport has to reliable, frequent and accessible otherwise people won't use it. It seems from here that America views public transport as the domain of the poor. I am prepared to be persuaded otherwise though.

[sonyan]

Oil + car maker + car insurance = poor public transit

[brianbogholtz]

I just went on my first long Amtrak trip this week and it was amazing. Looking forward to them updating their fleet though, but I still recommend it.

[nbreezii]

I recently made the switch from primarily driving to public transit and it is one of the best changes ive made in my life. I save so much money on car maintenance and gas, and I run into some incredible and wonderful people, and it has allowed me to use the money I would have used on my car or gas to support local businesses more!