Urban mass transit energy use and conservation potential

Journal Article · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1976 · Energy Syst. Policy; (United States)

OSTI ID:7140266

Hirst, E ^[1]; Stuntz, Jr, M S

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1. Oak Ridge National Lab., TN

Trends in urban passenger travel show a steady decline in mass-transit ridership after World War II; presently, bus and rail systems carry only 2.5 percent of the urban passenger traffic. Although mass transit carries only a tiny fraction of urban traffic, existing bus and rail systems are two to three times as energy efficient as automobiles. Transit efficiencies vary widely depending on city size, time of day, and type of route. Based on the limited data presented here, it appears that transit efficiency improves with increasing metropolitan area population. For example, the energy efficiency of the Albuquerque, New Mexico, bus system is less than half that of either the Chicago or the Baltimore bus systems. Bus system efficiency also depends strongly on both time of day and direction of flow: bus system efficiency is highest during the morning and evening peaks on routes that flow with the dominant stream of traffic. The energy implications of a number of recent transit improvements are discussed. Unfortunately, the energy impacts are slight--in part because transit now carries so few people relative to the total and in part because the increased ridership only slightly reduces automobile traffic. Thus the short-term energy-saving potential of improved and expanded transit service is small relative to the savings possible through measures that directly affect the automobile and its use.

• OSTI ID: 7140266
• Journal Information: Energy Syst. Policy; (United States), Journal Name: Energy Syst. Policy; (United States) Vol. 1:4; ISSN ESYPB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
291000* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Conservation
298000 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Consumption & Utilization
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320200 -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Transportation
AUTOMOBILES
BUSES
CONSUMPTION RATES
DAILY VARIATIONS
EFFICIENCY
ENERGY
ENERGY CONSERVATION
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
FORECASTING
TRAINS
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS
URBAN AREAS
VARIATIONS
VEHICLES