The following was taken from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA)’s 2008 Transportation Fact Book, which is available online at www.apta.com.
- Current public transportation usage reduces U.S. gasoline consumption by about 4.2 billion gallons each year.
- 76.9% of all fossil fuel used was diesel, of which 73.0% was used by buses, 10.7% by paratransit, 11.7% by commuter rail, and 4.6% by ferryboats.
- 67.9% of the non-diesel fuel used was compressed natural gas, 13.0% gasoline, 10.5% liquefied natural gas, and 3.5% propane.
- 63.3% of the electric power was used by heavy rail, 24.9% by commuter rail, and 9.6% by light rail.
Public transportation, while a large user of energy, is a major contributor to energy conservation since multiple-occupancy vehicles use less energy than automobiles on a passengermile basis.
Most rail transit vehicles and trolleybuses emit little or no pollution since they are electrically propelled. Most buses, ferryboats, commuter rail locomotives, and many paratransit vans use diesel, which, with innovations such as clean diesel, are getting less polluting all the time. Vanpools, many
paratransit vans, and a few buses use gasoline. Many newer buses are being fueled by alternative fuels such as compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, propane and hydrogen fuel cells. These types of vehicles, along with various sorts of hybrid electrics, improve air quality, and reduce public transportation’s reliance on oil-based fuels.
(Public Transportation and Petroleum Savings in the U.S.
Reducing Dependence on Oil. Fairfax, VA: ICF International,
2007)