Source: Adapted from The Public Purpose, Wendell Cox Consultancy. Estimated from data in National Transportation Statistics, James Dunn, Driving Forces Table 4-3, FHWA Highway Statistics, National Transit Database and American Public Transportation Association. All modes reported in National Transit Database except vanpool. Pre-1920 personal vehicle data estimated based upon vehicle miles, vehicle and fuel data.

Public Transport Market Share in the United States, 1900-2005

The impacts of individual mobility and motorization on urban transportation have been significant. The outcome has been a substantial decline of the share of public transit in urban mobility to less than 2% of the passenger miles in the early 21st century. The only setback in this trend was World War Two when austerity measures forced urban residents back to urban transit. As soon as the war was over, the trend resumed. In the first half of the 20th century, the number of passenger miles increased in spite of a declining share of public transit due to a large growth of the urban population. However, from the 1950s there has been virtually no changes in the level of public transit ridership in the United States.