More Americans are using a combination of private and public transit options, according to a recent study released by Masabi, a mobile ticketing and Software-as-a-Service-based transit fare collection company.
Masabi surveyed 1,000 U.S. residents and discovered 9 percent using ridesharing weekly and 19 percent use public transportation weekly. More than a third, 42 percent, use a combination of both.
Convenience, price, travel time, and necessity are the top motivators for using public transportation.
The survey also found that 40 percent of Americans never use public transit while 70 percent drive themselves at least once a week.
“This report paints a picture of the future of public transit and how it can both learn from and operate in partnership with new mobility options, to the benefit of all,” Masabi CEO Brian Zanghi said. “By implementing the types of convenience features found in ridesharing and other transportation alternatives and integrating multiple transit modes to deliver full first-last mile mobility, the emerging mobility ecosystem is set to provide a viable alternative to car ownership. Getting there, however, will require public/private partnerships between the agencies and mobility services that Americans already depend on every day.”
When asked about the quality of public transportation options, 49 percent of survey respondents said they were the same, 32 percent said it was improving, and 19 percent said it was worse.