In 2018, Americans took 9.9 billion trips on public transportation. 34 million times each weekday, people board public transportation. Since 1997, public transportation ridership has increased by 21%—a growth rate higher than the 19% increase in U.S. population.

One possible reason that blacks, Hispanics and immigrants might be bigger users of public transit is because they are more likely than Americans overall to live in large metropolitan areas, where there tend to be more public transit options. They are also less likely to have access to an automobile than other groups and are more likely to use public transit for commuting to work. Blacks and Hispanics also tend to live farther away from their jobs, which could make walking or biking to work less common