Date: June 29, 2020
Author(s): Brian D. Taylor, Evelyn Blumenberg, Jacob L. Wasserman, Mark Garrett
Abstract
Ridership has been declining in California even before the COVID-19 Pandemic. This study identifies the causes of this decline, which is occurring even as billions of dollars are being spent in expanding transit. The Los Angeles region accounted for the majority of California’s losses in 2014. More recently, the Bay Area has been experiencing ridership declines as well. Transit in California has been increasing its service, but transit efficiency and performance has been decreasing. The largest factor in California’s ridership decline is likely associated with the surge in private vehicle sales between 2010 and 2018. Other factors involved the decline in ridership from traditionally frequent users such as Asians and Hispanics and the shift in residential developments away from major city centers.
About the Project
From 2014 to 2018, California lost more than 165 million annual boardings, a drop of over 11%. This project examines public transit in California in the 2010s and the factors […]