Who Commutes using Bus, Subway, Railroad, Cycling, and Walking in the US?

Fri Oct 10 2025 at 03:00 pm to 04:00 pm UTC-05:00

6708 Pine St room 117 | Omaha

University of Nebraska Omaha Economics
Publisher/HostUniversity of Nebraska Omaha Economics
Who Commutes using Bus, Subway, Railroad, Cycling, and Walking in the US?
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Part of the UNO Economics seminar series. This research seminar runs from 3PM-4PM. Appetizers at Inner Rail afterwards.
About this Event

Abstract:

In this study, we examine the time-trends in non-car commute modes from 2004-2019; we exclude the data following 2019 due to the idiosyncratic impact of the pandemic. In this study, we simultaneously examine income, age, and other demographic characteristics in the choice to select different modes of transit. We find that while bus transit has decreased, other forms of transit have increased over this period. Moreover, while there are income effects, it is not as simple as public transit is used more by the poor. Instead, the choice to use transit is dependent on both the mode and the specific income bracket. Similarly, different immigrant groups seem to have differential impacts on commute choice.

Our results are in contradiction to some of the literature in this area and conventional wisdom. Our data suggest that, as expected, lower income groups and some underrepresented minorities are important users of public transit. However, they are not the only important groups. In fact, in the case of railroads, non-Hispanic whites are more likely to commute by train than those that identify as Hispanic, and the relationship between income and subway usage is strongly positive. This upending of conventional wisdom leads to a different understanding of the barriers to higher public transit usage and what investments in transit could lead to higher ridership.



Agenda

🕑: 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Seminar
Host: Bun Song Lee
🕑: 04:30 PM
Appetizers and discussion at Inner Rail
Host: Economics Department

Info: To further the goal of having a social discussion, the Department will buy the first round of appetizers at Inner Rail at 4:30PM


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Event Venue & Nearby Stays

6708 Pine St room 117, 6708 Pine Street, Omaha, United States

Tickets

USD 0.00

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