Public transit usage up, oil consumption down
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Environment Iowa released a new report, “Getting on Track: Record Transit Ridership Increases Energy Indpendence,” which shows that ridership on public transit across the country and in Iowa increased dramatically in 2008. Still, in 2008 the United States spent more than $700 billion on oil, of which $400 billion was spent on petroleum from other countries. The report shows that if as a country we double the current ridership on public transit, we could reduce oil usage by an amount comparable to what we import each year from Saudi Arabia. At right is a look at Iowa’s impact in 2008.
5%: Increase in public transit usage by Iowans
9 million: Number of gallons of gasoline saved by Iowans by riding public transit
80,000 tons: The amount of carbon dioxide that was prevented from entering Iowa’s air by use of public transit
2.07 million: Decrease in miles driven by Iowans in 2008 compared to 2007
8%: Decrease in miles driven by Iowans, the largest relative decrease in the country