Employment Spot

Saving Time and Money on Public Transportation

According to U.S. News & World Report, the average American commutes 33 miles per day to and from work. With rising gas prices nationwide, saving every mile helps. Using public transportation can save time, stress and money. Avoiding daily traffic jams not only reduces the time of your commute, but reduces the stress of sitting in bumper to bumper traffic for hours on end. Many public transportation commuters use the time on the train, bus or railcar to read the daily newspaper, pay bills or enjoy their favorite magazines.

Only 4.7 percent of employed Americans travel to work using public transportation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American FactFinder. The top eight states for public transportation use are listed below.

1. District of Columbia – With the highest commuter rate in the country, Washington D.C. boasts that 37.7 percent of workers commute via Metro, the D.C. area’s public transportation system.
2. New York – 25.8 percent of workers save time and money by using their public transportation options, including New York City’s Transit Agency, which claims the largest subway car fleet in the world and more than seven million riders per day.
3. New Jersey – 10.3 percent of workers use NJ Transit, which provides major connections in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.
4. Maryland – The Maryland Transit Administration allows 8.5 percent of workers to commute to and from work throughout the state.
5. Illinois – 8.2 percent of Illinois residents avail themselves of public transportation, especially in Chicago, where approximately 1.6 million citizens ride the CTA daily.
6. Massachusetts – 8.1 percent of residents commute via public transportation in Massachusetts, and many of those travelers access the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in the Boston area.
7. Hawaii – 5.7 percent of Hawaiian workers utilize TheBus system in Honolulu, which claims the lowest cost per passenger mile of any system in the country.
8. Pennsylvania – 5.1 percent of Pennsylvania workers travel with the Pennsylvania Public Transportation Association or its subsidiary systems.

Look for jobs in these states in order to access public transportation options and save.