$83.3bn
$X.Xbn
383k
4,217
$XX.Xbn
Over the past five years, public transportation services have faced significant fluctuations. The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented challenges, severely reducing ridership as lockdowns and business closures curtailed daily commuting. Government intervention played a critical role in maintaining and revitalizing public transit. The Biden administration's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed in 2021, earmarked $1.0 trillion for infrastructure and transportation initiatives over the next decade. Increased federal funding in 2023 helped offset previous declines in economic performance, which cut state budgets and pressured public transport. As the economy recovered, higher disposable income led some commuters to choose premium transport options like Uber and Lyft, particularly in cities with ride-sharing restrictions. Revenue has been declining by a CAGR of 2.5% over the past five years, and is expected to decrease by 2.0%, reaching $83.3 billion in 2024.
Industry revenue has declined at a CAGR of 2.5 % over the past five years, to reach an estimated $83.3bn in 2024.
Market size is projected to grow over the next five years.
Company | Market Share (%)
2024 | Revenue ($m)
2024 | Profit ($m)
2024 | Profit Margin (%)
2024 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority | 4,002.8 | -5,063.2 | -126.5 | |
Metropolitan Transportation Authority | 2,973.0 | -4,246.8 | -142.8 |
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Industry revenue is measured across several distinct product and services lines, including Bus, Commuter rail and Heavy rail. Bus is the largest segment of the Public Transportation in the US.
Ease of use and low infrastructure requirements boosts bus services
Public transportation agencies primarily operate regional passenger transportation systems with regular routes and fixed schedules. The industry does not include taxis and limousines (IBISWorld report 48533), charter buses (48522) or school and employee buses (48541).
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NAICS 48511 - Public Transportation in the US
Get an indication of the industry's health through historical, current and forward-looking trends in the performance indicators that make or break businesses.
COVID-19 caused public transport revenue to cascade. The economic and health crisis required extensive federal aid to prop up the industry, which is an integral part of the o...
Learn about an industry's products and services, markets and trends in international trade.
Bus services are widely used and easy to implement. Buses require very little infrastructure and generally run on shared roads with other vehicles.
Discover where business activity is most concentrated in an industry and the factors driving these trends to find opportunities and conduct regional benchmarking.
Densely populated cities have a greater need for public transportation. High congestion on roads and limited parking space are top reasons for investment in public transporta...
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The public transportation industry has a low level of competition. Government subsidies incentivize public transport operators and prevent competition between service provide...
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Small companies dominate public transportation, accounting for more than 90.0% of the market share. Government subsidies make public transport primarily dependent on assistan...
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The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is a major regulator in the public transport industry. The FTA regulates the handling of accidents and hazardous conditions while als...
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Government assistance boosts profit. Public transportation would not be profitable without government grants, which account for more than half of total operating expenses.
Including values and annual change:
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Key data sources in the US include:
Analysts also use industry specific sources to complement catch-all sources, although their perspective may focus on a particular organization or representative body, rather than a clear overview of all industry operations. However, when balanced against other perspectives, industry-specific sources provide insights into industry trends.
These sources include:
Finally, IBISWorld’s global data scientists maintain a proprietary database of macroeconomic and demand drivers, which our analysts use to help inform industry data and trends. They also maintain a database of statistics and analysis on thousands of industries, which has been built over our more than 50-year history and offers comprehensive insights into long-term trends.
IBISWorld’s analysts and data scientists use the sources above to create forecasts for our proprietary datasets and industry statistics. Depending on the dataset, they may use regression analysis, multivariate analysis, time-series analysis or exponential smoothing techniques to project future data for the industry or driver. Additionally, analysts will leverage their local knowledge of industry operating and regulatory conditions to impart their best judgment on the forecast model.
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The market size of the Public Transportation in the US industry in United States is $83.3bn in 2024.
There are 4,217 businesses in the Public Transportation in the US industry in United States, which has grown at a CAGR of 0.2 % between 2019 and 2024.
The market size of the Public Transportation in the US industry in United States has been declining at a CAGR of 2.5 % between 2019 and 2024.
Over the next five years, the Public Transportation in the US industry in United States is expected to grow.
The biggest companies operating in the Public Transportation market in United States are Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Operating heavy rail systems (e.g. metro, subway, rapid transit or rapid rail) and Operating light rail systems (e.g. streetcar, tramway or trolley) are part of the Public Transportation in the US industry.
The company holding the most market share in United States is Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
The level of competition is low and steady in the Public Transportation in the US industry in United States.