Public transit advocates often argue, sometimes heatedly, about whether buses and trains should be free to ride. But riding public transit is already much cheaper than driving a car.

According to a new brief from the American Public Transportation Association, households that use public transit can save more than $14,000 a year, on average, compared to the cost of driving. The analysis accounts for the growing costs of car ownership, including the cost of parking, maintenance, depreciation, registration fees and insurance. Some costs are rising. New cars cost more than $50,000 on average, an increase of 36 percent since 2019. The average price of a used car is more than $32,000, an increase of 60 percent since 2019. Gas prices are also at historic highs — a national average of $4.22 per gallon, according to AAA.

Transit fares, meanwhile, have mostly stayed the same since 2022. Because of inflation, it's actually cheaper to ride the bus today than it was a few years ago in many places. The average monthly savings for transit riders varies from city to city, from a low of $1,029 in Atlanta to a high of $1,536 in San Francisco.

Of course, the quality of transit varies widely from place to place too. It's easier to get around San Francisco than Atlanta without a car. Outside of big cities, it can be almost impossible. There's a cost to living in a place that has good access to transit. But it costs a lot less to ride the bus than to drive a car. With Congress negotiating the next transportation funding package, public transit authorities are hoping that an affordability-minded pitch will keep them in good stead.

"With so many costs outside a family's control, taking public transportation can help cut monthly transportation expenses," Paul P. Skoutelas, APTA's president and CEO, said in a press release. "Sustained federal investment in public transportation helps make sure that option is there for the families who count on it."

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