A Jump in Transit (2008)

“Americans [drove] 100 billion fewer miles in 2008 than they did in 2007,” said Chris Steiner in his book, $20 Per Gallon (29). Normally, each year Americans drive more miles than the previous year. If you graphed the number of miles driven each year it would look somewhat like a staircase, always moving up. Since the invention of the automobile, America has turned into a car-obsessed nation. 


The automobile holds a promise to discover new places with the luxury the pilgrims never had. Instead of cloth-covered wagons we now have plush, leather boxes on wheels. Our new discoveries are done with style and comfort. The comfort of adventures in cars allows for more journeys to be taken. So why would automobile miles drop?

As automobile miles dropped, the amount of people riding public transportation spiked. Looking at the graph at the right, a graph that depicts mass transit ridership from 1995 to 2011, there was a steady incline from 2003 to 2007. In 2008, however, there was a large jump up to 10,407 billion riders (Beutler). Over the next month or so I will be delving into the nitty-gritty details of why people would drive 100 billion fewer miles and hop on to mass transit instead.


I believe the steady incline of ridership in public transportation from 2003 to 2007 is due to a decrease in unemployment and a deepening interest in the environment; this along with high gas prices created the dramatic spike in 2008.