Cost–Benefit Analysis of Rural and Small Urban Transit in the United States

Ranjit Godavarthy, Jeremy Mattson, Elvis Ndembe · 2015 · Transportation Research Record Journal of the Transportation Research Board

Summary. This study measures the economic value of public transit in rural and small urban areas across the United States, which had been largely unmeasured. Using national transit database data, researchers calculated that rural transit generated $1.6 billion in benefits and small urban transit generated $3.7 billion in 2011. Benefit-cost ratios were 1.20 for rural transit and 2.16 for small urban transit, demonstrating that these systems deliver measurable returns on investment, particularly for transportation-disadvantaged populations.

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Godavarthy, R., Mattson, J., & Ndembe, E.. (2015). Cost–Benefit Analysis of Rural and Small Urban Transit in the United States. Transportation Research Record Journal of the Transportation Research Board. https://doi.org/10.3141/2533-16

@article{godavarthy-2015-cost-benefit-analysis-rural-small,
  title   = {Cost–Benefit Analysis of Rural and Small Urban Transit in the United States},
  author  = {Ranjit Godavarthy and Jeremy Mattson and Elvis Ndembe},
  journal = {Transportation Research Record Journal of the Transportation Research Board},
  year    = {2015},
  doi     = {10.3141/2533-16},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.3141/2533-16}
}

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AU  - Ranjit Godavarthy
AU  - Jeremy Mattson
AU  - Elvis Ndembe
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Details

DOI: 10.3141/2533-16
Countries: United States
Regions: North America
Categories: transportation, policy
Added: 2026-04-28