Investing in clean transportation and transitioning to cleaner cars is a long-run initiative, but it also has major payoffs. Nationally, transitioning to electric transport values climate savings at $113 billion by 2050, as well as an 82% reduction in nitrous oxide emissions, which is the primary substance coming from automobiles.
Interestingly, investment in clean public transportation specifically can result in an overall economic stimulus. According to a CCAN memo, in a case study of Kansas City’s fare-free and soon to be electric transit system, transitioning to an all electric public transit fleet can save millions in fuel costs annually. As for Virginia, a study from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation shows that for every dollar invested in transit, it translates to $2.86 in additional economic activity. This report showed that public transit is a net benefit to society, and not just through economic activity.
A Washington Post article showed that lower wage workers and people of color (two highly correlated groups) are more likely to use public transportation because they don’t have another option — they pay more for public transit than other workers who have the option of a car. This is why it’s so important to expand clean, public transportation access: increased mobility means increased economic activity. While public transportation investment is separate from the adoption of clean car standards, the objective is the same: we need cleaner air, less pollution, and more accessibility to those who need it most.