Shockingly, I’m not posting a photo of this newspaper headline in an attempt to immortalize the moment when every New Yorker’s beloved excuse to being late for work, for class, (or for those mutually unwanted, yet obligatory, plans to “grab drinks” we made with an old acquaintance,) became legitimized. Although seeing this statistic in print is a new experience, I have a strong suspicion that this citywide issue has crossed the mind of anyone who’s swiped a Metrocard at a turnstile recently.
Public transportation is among the aspects of urban infrastructure that most affects a city’s carbon footprint. Modern transportation relies heavily on petroleum; passenger cars and light-duty trucks (i.e. sport vehicles, pickup trucks and minivans) contribute half of the carbon dioxide emissions from the U.S. transportation sector. Burning one gallon of gasoline creates about 20 pounds of CO2—which means the average vehicle creates roughly 6 to 9 tons of CO2 each year.If your commute is 20-miles round trip (or the equivalent of a round trip up and down Manhattan,) the switch to public transportation could lower your carbon footprint by 4,800 pounds annually. American households that produce the least amount of carbon emissions are located near a bus or rail line. The people in those households drive an average of 4,400 fewer miles annually compared to similar households with no access to public transit. And, in addition to the benefits for the public and for the planet, individuals can save more than $9,738 per year by taking public transportation instead of driving.
It would seem that there are few things New Yorkers love more than demonstrating the city’s superiority to suburban America, publicizing their deep concern for the state of the environment, and saving money that can go to paying rent for our future dream apartments in Dumbo. And yet, New Yorkers’ use of public transportation has declined rapidly over the past several years. In recent years, the number of subway riders on weekdays has fallen from as many as 6 million to an average of 5.6 million as many people abandon the failing system for Uber and other ride-hailing services. Subway and bus ridership in 2019 is projected to be 236 million rides lower than the MTA projected three years ago, which could result in a cumulative revenue loss of $822 million from 2016 through 2019.The three-year decline in subway ridership has had a significant impact on the MTA’s operating budget – making it even more difficult for repairs and updates to the transit system to be made.
Ride hail apps first overtook taxis in February 2017 at more than 10 million rides a month, and drivers for Uber, Via, Lyft, and Juno now complete over 80% more rides than the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission. Concerns have risen over the unsustainability of the rapid growth of ride-hailing services, as traffic is already reaching new heights, and New York City’s streets are becoming more congested than ever.
The more New Yorkers flee our failing subway and bus system for app-hailed cars, the less eco-friendly our city will become – no matter how many photos of reusable water bottles we post on our Instagrams. And, the MTA relies the money generated from riders’ fares to improve and upgrade subway tracks and cars. However, considering that a 92% lateness rate is not tolerated by any employer or professor I’ve ever met, it’s not hard to understand which transit option, unfortunately, wins the cost-benefit analysis for many NYC commuters.
Good on one possible source of the City’s environmental problems.