As Congress grapples with long-term legislation that will fund the nation’s transportation programs, lawmakers might want to consider a recent report that shows Americans are driving less, a trend primarily driven by young people who are seeking transportation alternatives such as trains and buses. Americans’ love of driving had been increasing steadily from the end of World War II until early in the 21st century. But in 2011, the average American was driving 6 percent fewer miles than in 2004, according to the
U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Education Fund and the Frontier Group recent
report, “Transportation and the New Generation: Why Young People are Driving Less and What it Means for Transportation Policy.” Leading the trend away from driving are younger Americans, defined in the report as the 16-to-34-year-old age group. From 2001 to 2009, the average number of auto vehicle-miles traveled in that age demographic fell 23 percent, from 10,300 miles to 7,900 miles per capita. During that same time period, the average number of passenger miles (via train or bus) traveled by young people soared by 40 percent, the report states. Meanwhile, the transit industry is adapting to its younger customer base in a number of ways, not the least of which is its embrace of social media tools, electronic applications and other forms of communications technology that appeal to younger generations of transit riders, says Petra Todorovich, director of
America 2050, a national initiative formed in 2005 by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and Regional Plan Association to address national infrastructure, economic development and environmental challenges.
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