Philadelphia Among Nation's Best For Public Transportation, Study Says

PHILADELPHIA, PA -- Public transit users in the area shouldn’t take their ride for granted.

Philadelphia was recently named among the top ten cities for public transportation nationwide.

The City of Brotherly Love and its transit operator, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) were ranked ninth overall, according to SmartAsset, a financial planning company.

Washington, D.C. took the top spot, as shown in the visualization below:

Several of the top spots belong to cities in the Northeast, while the South and the Midwest were almost entirely devoid of representation.

The study analyzed several key metrics from cities around the country to determine their list:

The average commute time for transit users.

Percentage difference between average commute times of car commuters and transit users.

Percentage of commuters who use public transit.

Total number of commuters who use public transit.

The difference between the citywide median income and the median income of transit users.

The study cited the sheer mass of the Philadelphia workforce which used public transit to get around: 171,000, the fourth most in the nation.

SmartAsset also noted that SEPTA includes a diverse combination of subways, trolleys, buses, and commuter rails to serve customers.

Nearby, Newark, New Jersey was 14th, rival Pittsburgh placed 8th, and New York City placed 5th.