by Glen Weisbrod (Economic Development Research Group) and Arlee Reno (Cambridge Systematics), for the American Public Transportation Association, TCRP Project J-11(7), October 2009

For the Transit Cooperative Research Program (Project J-11-7), EDR Group coauthored the report on Economic Impacts of Public Transportation Investment. The report included a comprehensive literature review of both analysis methods and findings concerning the impact of public transportation investment on the economy. The report also addressed the two major ways in which public transportation spending leads to jobs and income impacts. 

1. Spending Effects.  The report traced the ways in which pubic transportation spending leads to direct, indirect and induced impacts on jobs and income.  It included profiles of the elements of capital investment and operations spending, the types of jobs affected, and impacts on both wages and suppliers of supporting products and services. Three different economic models were tested (REMI, IMPLAN and TREDIS) to show the range of impact estimates.
2. Productivity Effects.  The report also laid out a new methodology that was developed for assessing the range of ways in which sustained public transportation investment affects car use, traffic congestion, labor market access and resulting houshold and business costs and productivity.

Scenarios were developed to illustrate alternative levels of national support for public transportation, and show their short-term and long-term impacts on growth of jobs, income, GDP and business output over time.

View the Report and Related White Paper

Economic Impact of Public Transportation Investment, by Glen Weisbrod and Arlee Reno, for the American Public Transportation Association, TCRP Project J-11(7), October 2009

"Job Impacts of Spending on Public Transportation: An Update", prepared by Economic Development Research Group for APTA, 2009

View the Capitol Hill Briefing

Presentation of Glen Weisbrod at the Capitol Hill briefing: Clean Energy Jobs: Trends and Potential Growth, and Energy Study Institute, US Capitol Visitor Center, October 22, 2009.
Overview, photo and link to watch the video: http://www.eesi.org/102209_jobs  
Power Point Slide Show: http://files.eesi.org/weisbrod_102209.pdf  
Audio File: http://files.eesi.org/102209_jobs.mp3  

View the Webinar

"Public Transportation: Measuring & Reporting Your Real Impact," webinar presented by Glen Weisbrod and Arlee Reno for the to the Virginia Transit Association, December 2009.
Power Point Presentation

View Press Releases

"Two Out of Three Jobs Created by Public Transit Investment Replace Jobs Hardest Hit by Economic Downturn -- New Study Shows $1 Billion Investment in Public Transportation Yields 30,000 Jobs" , APTA, April 2009.
http://www.apta.com/mediacenter/pressreleases/2009/Pages/090429_jobs_impact.aspx  

"APTA study: 30K jobs for every $1B investment in transit,' Roads and Bridges Magazine, April 2009
http://www.roadsbridges.com/APTA-study-30K-jobs-for-every-1B-investment-in-transit-newsPiece18196

"Public transit investment creates green jobs," APTA Press Release, October 2009
http://www.apta.com/mediacenter/pressreleases/2009/Pages/091023_creates_jobs.aspx  

"Congress: Urgent Need for More Public Transit Investment; APTA: Any Jobs Bill Should Include Transit Projects", Passenger Transport, December 2009
http://newsmanager.commpartners.com/aptapt/issues/2009-12-07/index.html