Usage spike strains mass transit

I watched with interest the report regarding the surge in mass transit usage. Before retiring, I road the bus to work for approximately 6 years. What I find interesting is the comment from the young lady regarding the fact that by using mass transit she is losing time but saving money. I encourage people to rethink the "losing time" factor. I found that I had time to read a book or the newspaper, balance my checkbook, study, make a grocery list, RELAX, plan a vacation, make new friends; .....I think you get the idea. After a short period of time, I found the thought of driving my car rather than riding the bus became a "non-event". Of course, if needed, driving to work is always an option - on an occasional basis such as doctor appointments or the need to attend school functions. I truly feel that once the average American experiences the conveniences and benefits of mass transit, they will find it difficult to abandon the "freedom" of clogged highways, toll bridges, road rage, near misses of their daily commute and embrace public transportation as one of the best "bang" for their buck! Signed: A true believer! Name is pronounced "Lawanna" Thank you for letting me comment on this truly needed relief to the environment, our pocket books and our sanity.

If only we had a viable public transit system here in Los Angeles...

My spouse and I carpooled for a week, we really saved some cash but I ended up staying at wor for 10 hours. We quit.
Houston, TX

I have been using mass transit since I started my current job in 2000. Even back then I thought it was too expensive to drive to work, what with gas, automobile wear and tear, and parking.

Up until recently I have been driving 3 miles up the road in the morning to a Park and Ride at the bus/train station where I normally catch my bus for work. Recently, though, I decided to get a regional pass and catch the train to that Park and Ride station. The end of the train line is a mile from where I live and I can easily walk that.

I'm doing this because I'm afraid my car will be vandalized at the Park and Ride where I normally catch my bus. Last year my car was broken into there and $1000 worth of items were taken. The Los Angeles County sheriffs don't really patrol these stations.

60 MPH = 40 MPG

If we had a decent passenger rail service across the USA we could go anywhere!!! However the only countries with the passenger rail is Europe, Japan and Norway...No we want the gas companies to make money! Where is our fuel efficient cars??? Congress has sat on their arses and have done nothing. We need a new Congress instead of the do nothings we have in office now!!! I know we need a new President and cabinet! Who is Tim Russett needling people about why they waited so long to tell !!! Doesn't he know what happens to whistleblowers?? look what they did to Wilson and his wife !!! You know we cannot say anything or they will get you, if not an airplane crash, car crash, or destroy you. Thank you Tim, butt I think the News Media stinks!!

The United States has been late to the mass transit party due to a big business bias for cars, fossil fuel and never ending highway projects. When gas was $2.00 a gallon any talk about adding .10 of tax to help fund mass transit was met with intense lobbying pressure from the big oil lobby. In Europe the cost of fuel includes enough funding for a mass transit system that works. Perhaps we will finally realize the public benefits of mass transit and make the investments needed. Big oil producers and automakers are betting Americans will never have the will to do it.

Just filled up both family cars: 1994 F-150 V6 **$115.23** ; 2004 BMW X3 $76.00 HHHHHEEEEEEELLLLLLPPPPPP!

Absolutely, I have a full size PU and commute 23miles one way. Not to mention $12 packing fees in the Houston Medical Center. By taking Metro for $2/day I'm able to extend that $100+ tank of gas from 1 week to 1 month while saving on parking fees. This has resulted in a virtual $500/month raise. I can now afford to go to work

I actually appreciate the excuse to walk more. I know that I am doing better things for myself physically as well as for the environment. I get in more reading time on public transportation and that, too, is a good thing. If it takes $4/gal to get Americans off their backsides and exercising more, meeting their neighbors on the train/bus, cutting down on the emissions from cars, then I'd have to say I'm all for it.

My daily commute is around 18 miles on I-10 northwest of San Antonio. Noticeably a significant number of drivers are taking to the right lane and are driving at 60 mph. Some have said th is can save up to 10% on gasoline.

And, also noticeably, most of the slow drivers are in smaller cars, while the pickups and muscle cars continue to whiz by (no doubt in a hurry to fill up their $100 gas tanks.

Absolutely!! I work in the Houston Medical Center and had a 23mi one way commute driving a full size PU. By riding METRO for $2/day, I'm able to stretch a $100+ tank of gas from a week to a month while avoiding $12/day parking. As a result I've realized a $500/month raise. I can now afford to work.

As with everyone else it is affecting my commuting. I find myself using my gas card more to by gas. Unfortunately I do not have the option to take mass transit to get to work. I am trying to consolidate my trips to save gas. This year I will be looking to buy a hybrid car. I work in the NYC subway. I am not a city employee but a private contractor and can definitely see the increase in the ridership. Rush hour use to start at 6 a.m. till around 9:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. till 9 p.m. but now it appears that the lull between these times is barely noticeable. The trains are packed

I live in central florida and mass transit doesn't exist in the Orlando, Daytona, and even the Tampa area. We all drive cars.
It is time to get serious about this and invest Billions now or invest even more later.
How much I would give to have a train station a half mile from my house.

I'm not suprised that this is happening, given how gas is rising at an astronomical rate with no end in sight. I live in a rural area in upstate New York (over 30 miles from Syracuse) and take what little public transportation they have to save on my gas bill.

I find it hard to understand why the powers-that-be in government refuse to do something about this. Regardless of the multitude of excuses that the big oil industry tries to shove down our throats, the reason for record gas prices is corporate greed, pure and simple. And, rather than institute a break on gas taxes (which were recently done away with in the Syracuse metro area because they didn't work), why not have price controls????

Given the impact this is having on our economy, this isn't too much to ask. Force the big oil companies to lower their prices to at least $2.50-$3 per gallon. And, if they were to do so, they would still have record profits. If anyone doubts this, just check the financial statements that these companies put out. Everyone should be outraged that while big oil companies cry poverty, their executives are paid way too much.

I'm on a fixed income, being on disability, and am tired of having to choose between putting food on the table, paying bills or putting gas in my car. No one - and I mean no one, especially the poor and our nation's seniors - should have to face such hard choices. For people like this, why can't the government start some benefit program (similar to food stamps) so that anyone with a low income can get help with putting gas in their vehicles? This could be funded by - you got it - our big oil companies.

I challenge our elected representatives - especially the Presidential candidates - to ACTUALLY do something about this mess. None of them want to talk about the "R" word (recession), but if they continue sitting on their hands while we suffer, we'll have to start saying the "D" word - Depression! They need to stop having endless hearings on Capitol Hill where big oil execs constantly make excuses and nothing is ever done.

I would suggest that if these hearings continue, that whoever is in charge of them have people like me testify as to how much an impact that high gas prices are having on our lives. To date I have seen no one do this!!!

What amazes me, we live 30 minutes from Mexico. We can drive 30 minutes, and the price of diesel is $1.98 a gallon. The Chevron station here in Sierra Vista, AZ wants $4.89 a gallon. We now refuse to vacation in the US. We will travel to to San Carlos, MX and/or Rock Point, MX from now on for our vacations - places we can take our travel trailer (5th wheel) and afford the gas. The US has lost our vacation dollars - all because US gas compaies want to rape the citizens of our country, all for a profit. Why else is there a $3 a gallon difference in gas 30 minutes away from my house?

I simply do not understand why Congress is just sitting by and allowing US gas companies to rape us like this. I think it is time to elect to people to office who will will force American gas companies to act like they live here in America too - as far as I am concerned, they are simply financial terrorists, driving this country to collapse - all for a profit - a HUGE profit.

It all makes me sick and disgusted with American gas companies.

Gas prices affecting your commute?Your darn right it is! But it is not the norm. I am retired and live on a mountainside. It is a three mile road trip down to the mail box. OK laugh! But my 20 year old truck never did get better than 14 miles to the gallon. Six trips a week equals 18 miles. Thus it costs $ 4.45 a week just to get the mail. Nearest food store is seven miles away. ( $4 just to survive ). One added problem not mentioned, by the media, more than 30% of retirees ( that's approximately 12 million ) live on their Social Security checks and interest on their life's savings. When the Feds dropped the interest rates to 2% the old folks now get 1 to 1 1/4 % , even though the banks are lending "there" money at between 5 to 8 %. Sooooo these poor old buggars not only are feeling the gas pinch but they have lost anywhere from between 10 t0 20% of their annual income. DON'T GET OLD !!!!

I think of economics 101 "guns and butter" what we could do if our tax dollars where used to build our infrastructure and not bad military decisions

For years our government has been telling us about the potential of a fuel crisis and now the crisis has arrived. In anticipation of this crisis, why didn't this government do more in the way of financing and promoting mass transit. Whatever happened to the idea of supporting and promoting the general welfare of the people. We appear to be in an absolute mess.

We do not have good public transportation in Florida. I have however started to carpool. I can not wait for the war to pay for itself.

We are definitely becoming smarter with how we use our cars and more judicious trip planning. Maybe people will stop buying over-sized, overpowered and over accessorized SUVs and Pick-em Up trucks. We have a Van that gets 26 mpg hwy and a Mercedes that gets 30 mpg hwy.

We are definitely becoming smarter with how we use our cars and more judicious trip planning. Maybe people will stop buying over-sized, overpowered and over accessorized SUVs and Pick-em Up trucks. We have a Van that gets 26 mpg hwy and a Mercedes that gets 30 mpg hwy.

I don't drive very far to work- only about 10 miles round trip- unlike many people. But, I am concerned- since there is a surge in mass transit riders- that the increase use in public transit may make this new trend a target for any opportunistic terrorist(s). With the gas prices increasing daily, this seems to be an option many are taking advantage of. But, I hope that our public transportation safety is not compromised because of rising costs to maintain our buses and trains running..

We put our rural house on the market in June of 2007. It took 10 months to sell. We did this because we saw a very unpleasant future for rural real estate, and gas prices were already eating huge holes in our pockets. We moved to an urban area a short distance from light rail, and now both work entirely out of the house so we don't even have to commute. We could technically sell one of our cars now, which we are strongly considering. We all have bikes and have been really enjoying the 5-minute bike trips to grocery stores/etc. It is fun and relaxing and leisurely, not stressful like being in traffic.

SO relieved we moved when we did!!!!

Fuel prices have greatly affected my family and I. It forced me to sell my diesel pickup last fall and now I am looking for a scooter or motorcycle to commute to work on.