Months into the Iran war, gas prices are staying high and commuters are turning to alternatives, which experts say correlates with an increase in public transportation use.
As the Iran war enters its fourth month, ridership on U.S. public transit systems is rising as gasoline prices remain near historic highs. Weekday commutes on Los Angeles County’s Metro system, for instance, jumped nearly 8% between January and May.
“With gas prices in April averaging roughly $5.70 per gallon, the ability to travel across the county for just $1.75 makes rail an increasingly attractive and cost-effective alternative,” said Maya Pogoda, senior director of communications for Los Angeles’ Metro system, in an email. Transportation agencies in Boston, Chicago and other cities also report growing ridership.
Experts said it remains unclear to what extent gas prices are driving a switch to public transit versus other factors, such as return-to-office mandates and the ongoing recovery from the pandemic. But a May report from the New York Federal Reserve found that low- and moderate-income households have decreased their consumption of gasoline as pump prices spike, “potentially by carpooling or substituting to public transit where available.
”Studies have correlated a rise in gas prices with an increase in public transit use. Hiroyuki Iseki, an associate professor of urban studies and planning at the University of Maryland, said his research has shown that every 10% increase in gas prices over the course of a year results in up to a 1.2% rise in public transit demand.
“The cost pressure accumulates over time,” he said in an email. “Some segments of people will be forced to consider the trade-off between transportation costs, housing costs, convenience activities to conduct that generate the need to travel. ” California’s gas costs are 41% higher than the U.S. average — regular gas in the Golden State hovers above $6 a gallon with premium fuel edging toward $7 — and the state has seen notable increases in public transit use.
In San Diego County, light rail ridership jumped nearly 18% between February and April compared to an 11% increase in the same period last year, according to the latest available data. In Northern California, the Bay Area Rapid Transit train system saw a nearly 11% rise in weekday ridership between January and May. Compared to the previous year, April ridership surged 21% on Caltrain, the commuter railroad that links Silicon Valley to San Francisco.
Chicago experienced an 11% increase between January and April with more interest from lower-income customers, according to a spokesperson for the city’s transit authority. Ridership on Boston’s rail line rose 13%. With the Iran war at a stalemate, gas prices are expected to remain high throughout 2026. Even so, Iseki said drivers are loath to give up their wheels.
After the oil shocks of 2008 and 2022, drivers largely returned to old habits when gas prices declined, according to researchers. Experts said that though this is the second sudden run-up in gas prices in four years and comes amid persistent inflation and geopolitical upheaval, it may not result in a significant switch to public transit — though it could cut driving.
That’s because people now have more alternatives, according to David King, an associate professor in the Arizona State University School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning.
“If we don’t drive, some trips might turn to transit, some trips might turn to work-from-home, some trips might turn to delivery, some are going to be biking or walking,” he said, noting people can also keep driving but eliminate their gas bill by switching to an electric vehicle. Brian Taylor, a professor of urban planning and public policy at UCLA, said drivers are more likely to leave their cars at home in areas with robust public transportation.
He noted that an increase in ridership on those systems is easier to correlate with the effect of fuel prices. Taylor said the impact of high gas prices will vary across the country and depends in part on how convenient the public transit system is in a particular city, particularly for suburban commuters.
“If you’re driving to work but you have a very high quality transit system as an alternative and parking is difficult, some of those people will stick with it,” he said.
Please follow us on Google to support us United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
US Strikes Iran Amid Stalled Negotiations, Escalating TensionsThe United States launched a new round of 'self-defense' strikes on Iran on Wednesday evening amid stalled negotiations with Tehran. The renewed US strikes come just hours after Trump met with his advisors in the Situation Room to discuss options for a massive bombing raid. The attack on Iran was described as 'self-defense strikes' after Iran struck US assets. The strikes were meant to push Iran toward diplomacy and set the terms for a deal, but Iran threatened to broaden the conflict to other countries. Meanwhile, Qatari mediators were holding talks with Iranian officials in another effort to bring about a deal. The president has been insistent that any deal to end the war in Iran sees the country give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which is just one short technical step from weapons-grade levels.
Read more »
U.S.-Iran Tensions Escalate as Trump Warns of 'Paying the Price' for Stalled NegotiationsPresident Donald Trump warned that Tehran would 'pay the price' for stalled negotiations, and Iran responded with strikes targeting Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan. The U.S. resumed strikes against Iran after an American helicopter was shot down, and the third back-and-forth strikes this week have tested a two-month shaky ceasefire. Both countries seem to be looking for a way to end the conflict, but Iran has proved resilient despite weeks of heavy bombing. The U.S. wants to see Iran give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, while Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful and demands relief from sanctions.
Read more »
Iran latest: Latest US strikes increase pressure on Iran to reach a dealThe hostilities that erupted earlier in the week continued Thursday morning when the United States launched a new round of airstrikes on Iran, which soon reciprocated with its own attacks on three neighboring countries. The exchange was the third one of the week as the two-month-old ceasefire was tested again.
Read more »
Iran latest: Trump says US-Iran peace deal could be signed this weekendAfter calling off new military strikes on Iran on Thursday, President Donald Trump told reporters a peace deal could be signed by both countries as soon as this weekend.
Read more »