They don't drive nearly as much as young people once did: While all Americans are driving less since the recession, the average person ages 16-34 drove 23% less in 2009 than in 2001, the sharpest reduction for any age group.
And some of the nation's youths -- those known as Millennials, born between 1982 and 2003 -- approach travel differently than their parents do. They are "multimodal," meaning they choose the best mode of transportation, such as driving, transit, biking or walking, based on the trip they are planning. They consider public transportation the best option for digital socializing and one of the most likely ways to connect with the communities they live in. They also say that transit allows them to work while they travel.
These are among the findings of two reports released Tuesday at the American Public Transportation Association's meeting in Chicago.
The first (http://washpirgfoundation.org/reports/waf/new-way-go), from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, found that online and mobile technology have fundamentally changed the way Americans live and work over the past 15 years; during the same period, growth in vehicle travel slowed and then stopped. U.S. PIRG suggests that these two developments are connected.
There has been "an extraordinary shift" in how people travel, said Phineas Baxandall, author of the PIRG report. "For eight years in a row, Americans have been driving less on a per-person basis than the year before," he said. At the same time, the PIRG report notes, there have been increases in the use of the Internet, cellphones and smartphones, with younger Americans more likely to own a smartphone.
Over the same period, participation in tele-work and e-commerce increased sharply.
The advances in Internet and mobile communications are fueling a wave of new transportation services enabled by technology, such as car-sharing, bike-sharing and ride-sharing, the PIRG report finds.
Other researchers, including Robert Foss, director of the Center for the Study of Young Drivers at the University of North Carolina, argue that the drop in driving among young people is primarily a function of the economic downturn and is likely to rebound as the economy recovers.
Michael Melaniphy, president and CEO of APTA, (second report = http://www.apta.com/resources/reportsandpublications/Documents/APTA-Millennials-and-Mobility.pdf) said the two studies
highlight the need for the nation to enact transportation policies that
address the needs of Millennials. "Now is the time to be proactive," he
said. "Congress should authorize investment in a long-term
transportation bill that includes strong investment in public
transportation in a variety of modes."
• Public transit enhancements—A majority of U.S. transit systems make scheduling publicly available for developers to produce smartphone apps to help riders navigate systems. Smartphone-based tools enable riders to find the best route and track the progress of trains and buses in real time.In a statement about the report from U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), “As more Americans are searching for ways reduce driving and incorporate physical activity into their lives, they need information on how to get out of their cars and onto the sidewalks, bike lanes, and rail tracks. This report outlines ways they can do that. I recommend that anybody across the country who’s making decisions about transportation read these recommendations and hop on board with those of us who already know that the cheapest gallon of gasoline is the one you don’t have to buy.”
• Bikesharing – More than 30 cities now have programs where subscribers can access bikes by the minute or by subscription at kiosks located on city streets. Approximately 40 percent of bikeshare members report reducing their driving, according to a survey of members of four bikeshare services.
• Carsharing– Roundtrip carsharing services, such as Zipcar as well as newer one-way services such as car2go enable subscribers to access cars located in their neighborhoods, providing the mobility benefits of access to a car without having to bear the burden of owning one. As of 2012, more than 800,000 Americans were members of carsharing services. Each carsharing vehicle replaces nine to 13 privately-owned vehicles. The average carsharing participant reduces his or her driving by 27 to 56 percent while increasing ridership on transit and biking. [Like Peg City Car Co-op here in Winnipeg!]
• Ridesharing and taxi-like services—New peer-to-peer carsharing networks enable individuals to rent out their own unused vehicles to people looking for a car. Drivers with open seats in their cars can pair with other individuals who need a ride. Companies such as Lyft allow ordinary drivers to provide web-based taxi-like services during their spare time.
• Young Americans have consistently been the first to adopt and test these new technologies and practices. As of September 2012, young adults were six times more likely to have a smartphone than their grandparents’ generation, and twice as likely as Americans 50 to 64 years of age.