Travel Efficiency Strategies:Transit
Improvements
Air quality in the United States has improved over the years as
emission control technologies have reduced emissions from all
pollution sectors. Yet the transportation sector continues to be a major
source of criteria pollutant and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across
the country. While emissions per mile traveled have decreased, growth
in travel activity has offset some of those reductions and presents a
challenge to achieving and maintaining air quality and protecting public
health.1 Investing in and implementing programs that reduce travel
activity can help to achieve state and local air quality and climate goals,
while creating a more accessible and sustainable transportation system.
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This document provides an overview of transit improvement strategies and implementation
approaches.
Transit Improvement Strategies
Transit improvements are a type of TE
strategy that enhance or expand transit
service with the goal of increasing transit
ridership. Strategies in this category
typically reduce travel costs, reduce travel
or wait times, or expand the service
area or operating times to increase the
number of commuters served. Agencies
may also improve the convenience,
comfort, and safety of transit systems
to make transit services a more
appealing option for passengers. These
improvements may be applied to public
transportation systems, private transit providers, and joint public-private partnerships.
Important considerations in transit improvement planning include project costs, implementation
timelines, and user impact. While some transit improvements—such as building new or expanded
light or heavy rail systems—may require large infrastructure investments with long timelines,
others may be relatively quick to implement. For example, offering free or reduced fares or adding
additional vehicles to existing bus routes may have shorter implementation timelines, which could
increase ridership and thereby reduce emissions in a shorter timeframe.
In the TEAM case studies, EPA partnered with state and local agencies to assess various strategies.
These included potential transit improvement strategies, which were estimated to provide
significant VMT reductions.3 Other potential benefits from these strategies include:
• Reducing emissions of criteria air pollutants and greenhouse gases; and
• Providing additional travel options to all citizens and increased accessibility for people
without other reliable options.
Implementation Approaches
Regional and local government agencies have many options for designing their transit services. The
following table provides examples of how transit improvements might be implemented at a local
or regional scale. Through their impacts on transit cost, time, convenience, and comfort, each of
these improvements could increase transit ridership and decrease overall VMT.
8 Transit improvements, including increasing service frequency and service area, decreasing wait times, or providing
subsidies, generally had significant impact on decreasing in VMT. In Puget Sound, for example, providing targeted
transit subsidies to low-income populations had an estimated effect of reducing regional VMT by 1.78% compared
to the "business-as'usual" case. In other cases,: increasing transit frequency or reducing wait times-resulted in a
decrease of regional VMT by 0.30 - 0.55%. See EPA's factsheet, Travel Efficiency Assessment Method: Key Takeaway?
from State and Local Case Studies to Reduce Transportation Emissions, EPA-420-F-20-042, July 2020.
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Reduce
Passenger Cost
• Provide free or
reduced transit fares
broadly or to certain
groups such as senior
citizens, low-income
individuals, veterans,
or students
• Sell bundled transit
passes at a discount
Reduce Travel Times
• Introduce Bus Rapid
Transit (BRT) service
lines (including
dedicated bus
lanes, bus-priority
signalization, off-
board fare collection)
• Add more vehicles
to existing routes to
increase frequency
and reduce time
passengers spend
waiting at bus stops
• Build transit hubs
to more efficiently
connect different
modes of transit
Expand Service
• Expand transit service
into a new geographic
area previously not
served
• Add off-peak travel
service
• Restructure bus
routes to maximize
geographic coverage
and accessibility
• Complement public
transit networks
by partnering with
private rideshare
companies to
provide on-demand
bus service in areas
not served by
public transit
Improve Comfort,
Safety, and
Convenience
• Improve amenities
at transit stops (e.g.,
add covered waiting
areas, seating, and
adequate lighting)
• Increase frequency
of cleaning at transit
stops and aboard
vehicles
• Standardize and
centralize fare
structure, routes, and
branding across all
transit services in
a region
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extended its zero-fare policy with a one-year pilot
program, which was recently made permanent.9 Link
Transit also expanded its service in 2022, adding
new routes and express lines. The free transit service
is funded by a combination of local sales tax and
federal and state grants. With its new policies, Link
Transit provides additional access to transportation
and increases transit efficiency by speeding up
boarding times. As a result, ridership recovered to
96% of pre-COVID levels by May of 2022.10
More Information
For more information about EPA's work on travel efficiency (including TEAM user guide, technical
documentation and detailed case studies), please visit EPA's Travel Efficiency website.
9 See Link Transit Zero Fare FAQ (https://www.linktransit.com/rider-tools-and-rules/fares/).
10 Wenatchee Valley's Link Transit adopts a permanent zero-fare policy, The WVnatehee World, June 24, 2022.
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