"What's Wrong with U.S. Public Transit Policy?"

The 5th Annual Martin Wachs Lecture
Presented by Genevieve Giuliano, Professor, School of Policy, Planning and Development, University of Southern California. Download PDF of Genevieve Giuliano's Wachs Lecture: "What's Wrong with U.S. Public Transit Policy?"

Public transit has received government subsidies for four decades, but USC professor Genevieve Giuliano told an overflow crowd at the UC Berkeley Faculty Club on February 3 that transit has failed to meet its basic objectives.

Giuliano, the guest speaker at the fifth annual Wachs Lecture, named for former UCTC Director Marty Wachs. The event was co-hosted by the UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design and the Department of City and Regional Planning.

In her talk, Giuliano said transit investments have not increased transit market share, improved basic mobility, changed the structure of U.S. cities, or reduced congestion and air pollution.

One reason for its lackluster performance, she said, was failure to pay adequate attention to meeting the needs of its best customers—those who are most dependent on public transit.

Martin Wachs and
Genevieve Giuliano

 

"There are really two different markets for transit," she explained. One market is composed of discretionary riders who tend to live outside the central city, make longer trips, and use transit when it is convenient. The other is made up of riders who are truly dependent on transit to get to jobs or services because they don't have cars or have limited access to a car.

"These riders tend to be poor, elderly, or from minority groups," she added. "They are likely to live in the central city and use transit for relatively short trips."

And these core riders are far less happy with the service provided than the first group, according to Giuliano. When asked, transit dependent riders complain more than discretionary riders that buses or trains are crowded, finding a seat is difficult, stations and vehicles are dirty, service is often unavailable when they need it, and they worry about crime.

"I think we're not paying enough attention to current transit users, but instead to riders we might get in the future," she said. "That's why we see service cuts and fare increases instead of cuts in administrative costs in response to current budget problems."

Transit subsidy history

But the real roots of transit's problems are deeper and more complex than failure to pay attention to the needs of customers. In the 1960s when public subsidy of transit began, its goals were to revitalize failing urban areas and provide access to jobs in those areas. Over subsequent decades public transit's objectives expanded to include reducing congestion and air pollution, meeting land use objectives, supporting the concept of "smart growth," and addressing climate change and public health problems like obesity.

Giuliano says there's little evidence to suggest transit has been very effective in solving any of these problems, yet strong political support for transit subsidies continues.

Part of the reason for such support is the tendency to not expect near-term results. Transit subsides are viewed as an investment in the future—a sort of "if you build it, they will come" mentality. That, in turn, results in little short-term accountability.

Another reason transit subsidies are popular is there is broad distribution of funding, which appeals to voters, along with a belief that transit projects will bring money and jobs to local communities.

Broad support, however, brings with it a mismatch of funding imperatives. Thirty-five percent of total transit ridership is centered in the New York metro area. "Yet it's taken decades to fund the Second Avenue subway line in New York City, while at the same time we're funding projects in Utah," she said.

Why does this matter?

Voters support public transit, and transit service is critical in some markets, but increasing subsidy demands are not sustainable, she said. In addition, today's transit systems face a host of problems, from aging capital stock, growing operating costs, and the loss of public subsidy of revenues from taxes due to the recession, to new alternative fuel bus fleets that will cost more for maintenance and operation.

In a more perfect world, we would price cars and parking at higher levels, but Giuliano acknowledged that "raising the fuel tax is anathema in Washington."

Instead she suggested a good start might be to better quantify the costs of current practices as well as the incidence of costs and benefits. She also believes in restructuring incentives.

"Why not have subsidy systems based on performance?" she asked.

The Wachs Lecture was created by transportation and planning students to honor Professor Martin Wachs upon his retirement. The Lecture rotates between Berkeley and UCLA, the campuses at which Marty taught. To support the Wachs Lecture fund, go to https://givetocal.berkeley.edu/egiving/index.cfm?Fund=FN7518000. Please note: The University has offered to match all donations made by students who graduated after 2006.

—Christine Cosgrove

 

Abstract: Public transportation is a critical element in US transportation planning. Planners and others advocate for better public transit as a means to achieve a broad array of urban planning objectives: attracting people out of private vehicles; reshaping US metropolitan areas; solving congestion, energy and air pollution problems; revitalizing urban neighborhoods; and supplying basic mobility for those who have no or limited access to private vehicles.

Over the past four decades, support for public transit has greatly increased. In 2006 all levels of government spent an estimated $36 billion on transit capital investments and operating expenses. However, public transit continues to serve a small share of the travel market even in the largest metropolitan areas.

This talk examines outcomes of four decades of transit policy. Using two examples, mobility for the disadvantaged and transit impacts on land use, I show that little progress is being made in achieving transit's objectives. Public transit, however, continues to receive strong public support, and subsidies continue to grow. I argue that investment and service decisions that generate public support are major barriers to achieving public transit's urban planning objectives.

Download PDF of Genevieve Giuliano's Wachs Lecture: "What's Wrong with U.S. Public Transit Policy?"

About Genevieve Giuliano: Genevieve Giuliano is Professor and Senior Associate Dean of Research and Technology in the School of Policy, Planning, and Development, University of Southern California, and Director of the METRANS joint USC and California State University Long Beach Transportation Center.

She was named the Margaret and John Ferraro Chair in Effective Local Government in 2009 for her work in regional transportation policy. She also holds courtesy appointments in Civil Engineering and Geography. Professor Giuliano's research focus areas include relationships between land use and transportation, transportation policy analysis, and information technology applications in transportation.

She has published over 140 papers, and has presented her research at numerous conferences both within the US and abroad. She serves on the Editorial Boards of Urban Studies and Journal of Transport Policy.

She is a past member and Chair of the Executive Committee of the Transportation Research Board. She was named a National Associate of the National Academy of Sciences in 2003, received the TRB William Carey Award for Distinguished Service in 2006, and was awarded the Deen Lectureship in 2007. She has participated in several National Academies of Sciences policy studies; most recently for the NAS study, America's Climate Choices