What Makes a City Great for Public Transportation?
According to the American Public Transportation Association, Americans average 34 million trips on public transportation every single weekday.[1] Clearly, getting around without having to rely on a car is a necessity across the country.
However, not all cities have the same quality of public transportation. From accessibility to timing, some areas are better than others.
The Zebra set out to find the best cities for public transportation by analyzing the 50 most populous cities in the U.S. We also ranked the top three cities in each region to get a sense of infrastructure nationwide. We used the four following data points:
- Average commute time on public transportation (30% of score)
- Number of public transportation routes available (30% of score)
- Walk score (30% of score)
- Free public transportation (10% of score)
Check out the top 10 cities nationally.
Methodology
The Zebra pulled four data points to analyze the top 50 MSAs (by population) in the U.S. related to public transportation.
MSA data was used where applicable, and we sometimes substituted city or state data as necessary. We removed cities from the top 10 if two or more data points were unavailable.
Wrapping up
Not ready to give up your car just yet? Even if you live in a city that has workable public transportation, make owning a car more sustainable by saving on insurance. Compare car insurance rates to find options for your budget.