Click here to skip navigation American Public Transportation Association Visit the APTA Bookstore
My APTA
What's New
About APTA
For Members
Committees
Conferences & Calendar
Services & Programs
Government Affairs
Industry Information
APTA Standards Program
Media Center
e-Business
Passenger Transport
Book Store
Links
Contact Us
Site Map
Home
Rail and Bus LinksThe Rail Station
September 17, 2008
APTA    Search: Click here to search
APTA > Industry Information > Sustainability  

Sustainability and Public Transportation

The principles of sustainability have been gaining ground in the public transportation industry. Sustainability, at its core, is a way to make our communities more livable by integrating and balancing economic, social and environmental needs.

What Is Sustainability?

Sustainability is about practices that make good business sense and good environmental sense. It is balancing the economic, social and environmental needs of a community. For the public transportation industry, this means:

Employing practices in design and capital construction, such as using sustainable building materials, recycled materials, and solar and other renewable energy sources to make facilities as 'green' as possible.

Employing practices in operations such as reducing hazardous waste, increasing fuel efficiency, creating more efficient lighting and using energy-efficient propulsion systems.

Employing community-based strategies to encourage land use and transit-oriented development designed to increase public transit ridership.

2007 Workshop in Portland, OR

If you wish to attend, please click here

International Association of Public Transport (UITP)

APTA has also signed on to UITP's Charter on Sustainable Development.

Articles and Reports

For articles on sustainability in Passenger Transport, as well as reports, click here.

Presentations from 2005 Workshop

Other Links

Some of these pages may include links to documents in the Adobe PDF format. Please download the Adobe PDF reader if you have not already done so.