Approved by the Transportation Policy Committee on February 25, 2026
Approved by the Public Policy and Practice Committee on April 29, 2026
Adopted by the Board of Direction on July 21, 2026

Policy 

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) supports public transportation as an essential component of a comprehensive, integrated, multimodal transportation system (i.e. providing travelers with multiple travel choices) serving the nation’s communities ASCE supports sustained investment in the planning, design, construction, operation, and long-term maintenance of public transportation systems to ensure safe, reliable, and accessible mobility for all segments of society. ASCE further encourages:

  • Investing by public and private stakeholders to develop more integrated approaches to building, operating, and adapting public transportation infrastructures to rapidly evolving needs and demands.
  • Developing and promoting new planning models, engineering codes, and standards for public transportation systems and facilities to help them deliver enhanced social, environmental, and economic outcomes. 
  • Helping communities plan for and design for transit-oriented development and integrated first- and last-mile connections.
  • Repairing and upgrading aging transit infrastructure.
  • Providing the infrastructure needed to facilitate the replacement of aging, diesel-powered buses, and ferries with low- and no-emission vehicles.
  • Using existing right-of-way for transit operations, including use of shoulders during peak traffic hours. 
  • Developing and implementing innovative fare structures that improve the financial sustainability of public transportation systems while maintaining equitable access
  • Sustaining federal investment in public transportation at levels sufficient to meet authorized program commitments and long-term infrastructure needs. 
  • Maintaining the Mass Transit Account within the Highway Trust Fund as a dedicated and reliable funding source for transit infrastructure. 
  • Broadening the funding base for public transportation to include diversified federal revenue sources, state transportation budgets, local transportation programs, and responsible private-sector participation. 

Issue 

Public transportation supports economic productivity and community mobility by providing essential access to employment, education, healthcare, and services for millions of people in urban, suburban, and rural communities. The ASCE 2025 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure gave our nation’s transit systems a grade of D.

Pandemic-related issues induced significant shifts in trip generation and distribution as well as mode choice, which impacts the conventional approaches to developing and operating public transportation systems. By 2023, transit ridership had only reached 73% of pre-pandemic levels. For public transportation systems to meet these changes, there is a need to ensure they can provide mobility in ways that meet travelers’ needs. Unfortunately, 51% of Americans report a lack of access to public transportation. As communities rethink these systems, they need assistance to plan for transit-oriented design, which could include bus rapid transit lines, first- and last-mile systems, multi-modal transit hubs, strategically placed ride-sharing lots, and space within the public right-of-way to accommodate dedicated lanes and increase accessibility and capacity. 

Many public transportation systems do not generate sufficient revenue to cover operation, maintenance, debt service, and capital expenses. ASCE’s 2025 Report Card estimates a funding gap of $152 billion exists for the 10-year period of 2024-2033 for the nation’s transit systems. Failure to address this shortfall will inevitability reduce service and increase delays. It is important that users have reliability in a system to get them to work, school, and medical appointments. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act decreased this financial gap. However, additional funding is needed to provide improvements in mobile device-based applications and telecommunications to provide users of all abilities with up-to-date information. Real-time data is essential to users for route and schedule planning, run and wait times, ridership loads, congestion, and multi-modal availability. This will lead to a more reliable system, which should encourage more users.

Public transportation agencies are also facing increasing pressure to modernize fleets and reduce system emissions while addressing aging assets and capital backlogs. Replacement of buses, ferries, and rail vehicles with low- and zero-emission technologies requires significant upfront capital investment, facility retrofits, charging or power distribution upgrades, and workforce training. These modernization demands occur concurrently with deferred maintenance needs and funding gaps. Without careful planning, lifecycle cost evaluation, and coordinated infrastructure investment, fleet transitions may strain already constrained transit budgets. 

Rationale 

Public transportation systems advance economic productivity, public safety, and equitable mobility across communities of all sizes. Transit provides essential access for older adults, individuals with disabilities, and lower-income households, while also offering reliable commuting options that expand workforce participation and support business competitiveness. By reducing reliance on single-occupancy vehicles, transit systems can improve goods movement efficiency, reduce congestion-related impacts, enhance air quality, allow significantly more efficient use of limited urban real estate, and contribute to safer surface transportation overall. 

ASCE members’ expertise in infrastructure planning, design, construction, operations, and lifecycle asset management directly relates to the performance and sustainability of transit systems. Through technical standards development, resilience planning, and system integration, ASCE advances safe, reliable, economically viable, and accessible public transportation infrastructure.
 
ASCE Policy Statement 494 
First Approved in 2002 

Other ASCE policies related to Public Transportation:
Policy Statement 495 - Operations and management of transportation systems
Policy Statement 382 - Transportation funding