At a recent presentation, the Antiplanner mentioned that transit is not energy efficient because most transit vehicles run nearly empty most of the time. A “gotcha” look appear on the face of an audience member, who said, “but what if more people rode transit?” Yes, and cars would be more energy efficient if they were filled to higher occupancies, the Antiplanner replied, and if pigs could fly, we could just ride around on pigs and we wouldn’t need to debate this at all.
| Mode | Average Occupancy |
|---|---|
| Automated Guideway | 7% |
| Cable Car | 36% |
| Commuter Rail | 21% |
| Demand Response | 12% |
| Heavy Rail | 17% |
| Light Rail | 14% |
| Motor Bus | 15% |
| Trolley Bus | 16% |
| Van Pool | 59% |
| Ferry Boat | 20% |
| Publico | 34% |
| Monorail | 7% |
| Inclined Plane | 19% |
| Vintage Trolley | 10% |
Yet there are very good reasons why public transit occupancy rates will never rise much above their current levels of about one-fifth full. Suppose you take a bus or train to work during rush hour and it seems full. But it really only seems full as it approaches the center of town. It is likely to be nearly empty when it starts its journey in the suburbs, and be nearly full only when it gets close to the city center. Over a single, one-way journey into town (or out of town in the afternoon), the vehicle is likely to average only about half full. Continue reading
