This week, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is releasing a report that might surprise you. It’s about jobs.
This new study shows that investing in America’s public transportation systems provides jobs to the American workers who may need them the most. The research tells us that two out of three “green jobs” created by investing in public transportation have replaced blue-collar jobs hardest hit by the economic downturn.
So how does this break down in real numbers?
- A $1 billion investment in public transportation yields 30,000 jobs.
- The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), which invested $8.4 billion in public transportation projects, will create approximately 252,000 jobs for Americans and help transit systems meet the steadily growing demand for public transit services.
- 2/3 of the jobs created include positions in manufacturing, service, repair worker, drivers, crew, ticket agents and construction.
- 1/3 are white collar jobs, like clerical employees, managers and technical engineers.
.Read the full report, Job Impacts of Spending on Public Transportation: An Update.
Of course, public transportation has an answer for many of the other challenges facing America today – whether it’s reducing our dependence on insecure and expensive foreign oil, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, or improving our quality of life. But today, perhaps none are more important than the ability to put people back to work with good, green jobs.