Car use falls in USA
Public transit ridership is on the increase and, surprisingly, car usage has slipped slightly [in USA].

The American Public Transit Association released its 2005 Third Quarter Ridership Report (which covers the time period most affected by the major post-Katrina gas price spikes).  All modes showed increases: light rail (8.8%); commuter rail (4.6%); heavy rail (4.3%); bus (2.5%); demand response (3.2%), and trolleybus (0.2%).

The use of automobiles during the same time period declined: vehicle miles of travel showed a “highly unusual” decrease of 0.2%.

Initial feedback from APTA member agencies in November [2005] shows that ridership continues to increase despite the fact that gas prices are dropping from their post-Katrina highs.

(National Association of Railroad Passengers’ [USA] “NARP News”, February 2006 –
<a href=http://www.narprail.org/>http://www.narprail.org/</a>)