Mass Transit vs. the Prius…Prius wins

The CATO Institute published a study last year comparing the major modes of urban mass transit. Using government statistics they calculated energy usage and carbon emissions for each mode. The interesting conclusion was that passenger cars and the average of all forms of transit use about the same amount of energy and emitted about the same levels of CO2 per passenger mile. Taking it a step further, they compared the Prius to the mix and the Prius wins. Prius beats every transit mode in energy efficiency and every city rail transit line except two. Modal Energy Consumption and CO2 Emissions per Passenger Mile Mode………………..……BTUs……..Pounds CO2 Ferry Boats …………………10,744………….1.73 Automated Guideways….10,661………….1.36 Light Trucks………….........4,423…………0.69 Motor Buses………………….4,365.............0.71 Trolley Buses…………………3,923……..…..0.28 All Automobiles………….....3,885…………..0.61 Light Rail……………………..3,465..............0.36 Passenger Cars ……………..3,445…………..0.54 All Transit……………………..3,444…………..0.47 Heavy Rail…………………….2,600............. 0.25 Commuter Rail………………2,558…………..0.29 Toyota Prius………………..…1,659…………..0.26 What is interesting is within the rail community there is such a tremendous variation. Most of this is from load factor differences. Transit Line Energy Consumption and CO2 Emissions per Passenger Mile Urban Area……….…BTUs…………..Pounds CO2 Commuter Rail Chicago (NW IN)………….1,587…………..0.33 Newark (NJT)……..……….1,599…………..0.19 Boston …………………..……2,209…………..0.36 New York (LIRR).............2,681…………..0.24 Chicago (RTA)………..…...2,693…………..0.40 New York (Metro-North)..3,155…………..0.28 Philadelphia………………….4,168…………..0.53 Heavy Rail Atlanta…………………………1,983..............0.29 New York (MTA)…………..2,149…………..0.16 San Francisco (BART)…..2,299…………..0.14 New York (PATH)…………2,953…………..0.20 Washington………………….3,084……..…..0.62 Chicago………………………..3,597…………..0.37 Boston………………………….3,631…………..0.44 Baltimore……………………..3,736…………..0.50 Philadelphia (SEPTA)……3,745…………..0.48 Los Angeles…………………..4,233…………..0.26 Philadelphia (PATH)……..5,077…………..0.35 Cleveland……………………...5,494..............1.02 Miami…………………………..6,756…………..0.89 Staten Island……………..…8,039…………..0.60 Light Rail San Diego……………….…….2,102…………..0.13 Boston………………………….2,473…………..0.30 Portland……………………….2,482…………..0.08 Minneapolis………………….2,498…………..0.35 St. Louis………………………..2,613…………..0.48 Salt Lake City………………..2,830…………..0.56 Houston………………………..2,849..............0.39 Los Angeles……………………2,884…………..0.18 Denver………………………….4,400…………..0.78 Dallas……………………………4,466…………..0.60 San Francisco………………...4,509…………..0.27 Newark………………………….4,564…………..0.31 Sacramento……………………4,821…………..0.29 Philadelphia……………………5,459…………..0.69 Cleveland………………………..5,585…………..1.03 Buffalo……………………………5,774…………..0.43 San Jose………………………….6,174…………..0.38 Baltimore………………………..8,128…………..1.09 Pittsburgh……………………….9,265…………..1.18 Toyota Prius………………1,659……….0.26 The study also looks at the near economic self sufficiency of the automobile and the horrendous costs of mass transit. Here’s a sample: Historically, gasoline taxes and other highway user fees have paid nearly 90 percent of all the costs of building, maintaining, and policing American roads and streets. (In contrast, transit fares cover only about 40 percent of transit operating costs and none of transit capital costs.) Aside from being an excellent study that challenges the myth of the superiority of urban mass transit, it contains a wealth of source material for the scholar. Perhaps it would be cheaper and more environmentally friendly for the government to buy us all a Prius.