Public Choice in Transit Organization and Finance: The Structure of Support

Abstract

The nature of support for public transit spending and organizational structure in a heavily automobile-dependent region is explored thorough structural equation modeling based on survey data from 500 randomly selected households in southeast Michigan. Alternative factors underlying support for transit taxation are tested, including congestion relief, environmental conservation, social service provision, perceived future need, and general attitude toward government spending. The study finds a surprisingly strong endorsement of transit as a necessary social service and concludes that in automobile-dependent areas, transit’s primary task when appealing for locally generated financing is to demonstrate its success in serving as the bottom-line guarantor of mobility for the young, elderly, disabled, unemployed, and poor.