ENERGY-SAVING POTENTIAL OF TRANSIT

In a study initiated by the Federal Energy Administration in response to growing national concern over the rapidly exanding rate of energy use and possible fuel shortages, and analysis was done of the energy efficiencies of various urban passenger transportation modes, including automobile and bus, rail rapid and commuter rail transit, and dial-a-ride. The study was primarily concerned with the potential impacts and energy efficiencies of short-term policies designed to induce automobile drivers to shift to transit. Policies to induce such mode shifts were grouped as scenarios for evaluation. Possible transportation energy savings for urbanized areas as well as reductions in vehicle kilometers of travel were first estimated for individual representative cities and then expanded to provide a national estimate for each of four tested scenarios. /Author/