Five major US cities including Chicago, New York City, Boston, Washington, DC, and San Francisco have the largest, most extensive public transit systems in the country. To gain a better understanding of the history and scope of each city and its public transportation system, MPA@UNC, the online mpa degree, has created a visualization to show how millions of Americans travel daily via mass transit—Let’s Take a Ride: 5 Largest US Public Transit Systems.

1. Let's Take a Ride:
5 Largest US Public Transit Systems
New York City
The Metropolitan Transportation
Authority (MTA) is North
America’s largest transportation
system and includes subways,
buses, and railroads.
History27
1904
The first subway line opened up
1940
The city became the sole operator of all NYC subway and elevated lines
1968
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) established
Fun Facts
Largest number of public transit subway stations of any system in
the world28
MTA provides service for one third of the transit riders in America29
Ridership30
Number of daily riders = 11 million
Average weekly bus ridership = 2,169,311
Average weekly subway ridership = 5,380,184
Revenue32
Fares cover less than half of the cost of running the subways,
buses, and commuter railroads
Operation costs = $11 billion
Maintenance costs = $5 billion
Positive Outcomes31
700,000: number of cars kept out of New York
City’s central business district daily
400 million: number of pounds of soot, carbon
monoxide, hydrocarbons, and other toxic
substances not released into the city’s air
because of public transit
2,580: number of obsolete subway cars “buried”
in the ocean to create habitats for marine life
and recreational fishing
Key Metrics33
790 total miles of tracks
Train
(same distance between NYC and Chicago)34
468 stations
24 subway lines
15,000 bus stops
Bus
235 local routes
64 express routes
5 select bus routes
67,000
Number of Employees33
Customer Complaints35
Current and Upcoming
Improvements36
Schedules almost never
match actual arrival times
MTA is working to improve access
into Grand Central Terminal and
relieve pressure on overcrowded
stations by developing new stops,
extending service, improving
passenger flow, and replacing
a single-track loop with a
two-track station.
Lack notification on the
platform
Unreliable RFID card readers
Chicago
Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is
a regional transit system that
serves 35 suburbs, six counties,
and the city of Chicago, operating
urban bus and train systems.
Other components include:14
“L”—elevated urban train system
Metra—the suburban rail system
Pace—the suburban bus system
History14
1947
CTA began operation
Fun Facts14
2nd largest public transportation system in the US
One of few public transit systems to offer rail service to two major
airports
Service population = 3.8 million
Ridership14
Average weekday ridership = 1.64 million people
Revenue14
Operating budget in 2011 = $1.338 billion
Revenue from fares and passes = $523,660,000
400,000: number of vehicles replaced each
week day by CTA
Positive Outcomes15
600: number of cars replaced by a full
eight-car CTA train
70: number of cars replaced by a full 60-foot
articulated CTA bus
4,800: pounds of carbon emission saved per
person per year by switching from driving to
public transit
Key Metrics14
224 miles of tracks
L Train
145 stations
8 lines
11,493 bus stops
Bus
129 routes
Number of Employees14
Customer Complaints16
Rude bus and train operators17
9,377
Current and Upcoming
Improvements19
CTA will be moving toward Ventra
cards as the only form of payment
by the end of 2013.
Reckless driving18
Operators talking on cell
phone while driving buses or
trains
Boston
The Massachusetts Bay Transit
Authority (MBTA) operates most
bus, subway, commuter rail, and
ferry routes in the Boston area.
History20
1889
The first electric streetcar line began operation
1947
MBTA was established
Fun Facts20
5th largest mass transit system, in terms of daily ridership
Serves a population of 4.8 million
Serves an area of 3,249 square miles in 176 cities and towns
Ridership21
Average weekday ridership = 1.3 million passenger trips
Revenue23
Total fare revenue = $564,560,142
Positive Outcomes22
$13,650: potential annual savings per person by
taking public transportation in Boston
20%: percentage of MBTA’s electricity that is
purchased from certified renewable energy
sources
36,000: tons of greenhouse gases that are not
released into the atmosphere as a result of
MBTA’s renewable electrical energy purchases
Key Metrics7
664 miles of tracks
The T
133 stations
14 lines
Bus20
2 routes are rapid transit lines
183 routes
Other20
13 commuter rail lines
4 trackless trolley lines
5 light rail lines
5,984
Number of Employees23
Customer Complaints25
Current and Upcoming
Improvements26
Schedule delays
The MBTA is planning the construction
of new bus facilities. Projects are
underway to address noise mitigation
and accessibility and to extend the
Green Line. Other projects range from
bridge reconstruction to line improvement and platform rehabilitation.
Employee rudeness
Lack of funds to improve
and expand
Washington, DC
Washington Metropolitan Area
Transit Authority (WMATA)
operates both Metrorail and
Metrobus.1
History1
1969
Construction of the Metrorail system began
1976
First phase of Metrorail began operation
2001
Final leg of the original 103-mile rail network completed
Fun Facts1
1/3 of riders work for the federal government
2nd largest heavy rail transit system in the US
Longest escalator in the Western Hemisphere at
Wheaton Station is 230 feet
Ridership
Average weekday ridership = 750,000 people2
Revenue4
Total 2013 revenue = $1.6 billion
$705 million: annual time savings for all
households (riders and non-riders) as a
result of public transit
Positive Outcomes3
$342 million: annual household savings in
auto expenditures for Metro users
40.5 million: gallons of fuel metro riders
save annually
Key Metrics1
106.3 miles of tracks
Metrorail
86 metro stations
5 train lines
11,490 bus stops
Metrobus
325 routes
169 lines
10,000+
Number of Employees5
Customer Complaints6
Current and Upcoming
Improvements
Unreliable service
Metro Forward is a six-year
improvement program to
renovate infrastructure and
upgrade technology with a
budget of $5 billion.
Weekend track work and
wait times
Faulty escalators
San Francisco
Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)
operates train services in San
Francisco and outlying areas in
the East Bay.
History7
1964
Construction on BART began
1972
BART opened
Fun Facts8
5th busiest heavy rail rapid transit system in the US
Total cost of original BART system = $1.6 billion
Ridership8
Average weekday ridership = 366,565 people
Revenue9
Annual revenue = $379 million
Unused ticket values are a source of revenue, estimated as much as
$9.9 million
Positive Outcomes8
400,000: metric tons of CO2 BART riders
save annually
202,000: gallons of gas saved by BART
riders every day
44: pounds of pollutants saved by each
BART rider every day
Key Metrics7
104 miles of tracks
Train
44 stations total
5 lines
Number of Employees10
3,352
Customer Complaints11
Lack of restroom and
elevator cleanliness
Poor condition of seats
on train
Current and Upcoming
Improvements12
Construction began in 2010 for
the Oakland Airport Connector, a
3.2-mile cable-drawn track, set to
be complete by 2014.13
Sources
1
www.wmata.com/about_metro/docs/metrofacts.pdf
2
http://planitmetro.com/2013/07/19/visualization-of-metrorail-station-activity/
3
http://www.wmata.com/about_metro/makingthecase.cfm
4
http://www.tbd.com/blogs/tbd-on-foot/2012/02/where-wmata-s-money-comes-and-what-transit-needs-subsidies-14424.html
5
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/5764/what-do-metro-employees-really-make/
6
http://www.wusa9.com/rss/article/257452/158/Top-10-List-of-Rider-Complaints-About-Metro-Service
7
http://www.bart.gov/about/history/index.aspx
8
http://bart.gov/news/articles/2012/news20120809a.aspx
9
http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/carroll/article/Tiny-Tickets-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-3315661.php
10
http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2013/07/are-bart-workers-taking-us-for-a-ride.html?page=all
11
http://www.bart.gov/docs/BARTCustSat2012.pdf
12
http://www.dcc.at/doppelmayr/references/en/tmp_1_883398447/Oakland_Airport_Connector,_Oakland,_USA_detail.aspx
13
http://www.dcc.at/doppelmayr/references/en/tmp_1_883398447/Oakland_Airport_Connector,_Oakland,_USA_detail.aspx
14
http://www.transitchicago.com
15
http://www.transitchicago.com/goinggreen/lowemissions.aspx
16
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-05-20/news/0905200139_1_bus-drivers-complaints-transit-agency
17
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-05-20/news/0905200139_1_bus-drivers-complaints-transit-agency
18
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-05-20/news/0905200139_1_bus-drivers-complaints-transit-agency
19
http://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/news/2013/10/14/chicago-transit-authority-ventra.html
20
http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/history/default.asp?id=970
21
http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2013/08/01/mbta-reports-record-revenue-more-than/fsHYmpD33LRlgH6mNMoUPL/story.html
22
http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/environment/default.asp?id=2604
23
http://www.mbta.com/fares_and_passes/subway/
24
www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/.../CommuterRailExecutiveSummary.pdf
25
http://www.bostonmagazine.com/2006/05/the-terrible-t/
26
http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/t_projects/
27
http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/Main_Page
28
http://mta.info/nyct/facts/ridership/index.htm#atGlance_s
29
http://www.tstc.org/101/mta.php
30
http://web.mta.info/mta/safety.htm
31
http://web.mta.info/nyct/facts/ffenvironment.htm
32
http://www.tstc.org/101/mta.php
33
http://www.mta.info/nyct/subway/howto_sub.htm
34
www.mta.info/mta/news/books/interim/0613_MNR_Ridership.pdf - 64k - 2013-06-13
35
http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/addicted-cars-new-york-public-transport
36
http://www.mta.info/capconstr/about.htm
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