GAO Reports That Public Transit Can Help Reduce Airport Road Congestion
1/29/2026
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on Accessing Airports: Available Public Transit Options and Efforts to Promote Their Use. The report reviews public transit availability, use, and strategies at 31 large and 20 medium and small airports.
GAO highlights the following:
- All but two of the airports reviewed had public transit service
- Public transit can help reduce airport road congestion
- At 12 airports with reports on passenger mode of transport, public transit use ranged from 4-19 percent
- At two large airports, 17-19 percent of surveyed airport and airline employees used public transit
- An estimated 4 percent of airport and airline employees nationwide used public transit to commute
Factors influencing transit decisions:
- Cost, travel time, and familiarity with transit options
- For people with disabilities, availability of elevators or accommodations for mobility aids
- For employees, parking availability, transit benefits, and timing (such as alignment with early morning shifts)
To promote transit use, some airports are implementing transportation demand management (TDM) strategies, such as:
- Additional signage and advertisements for public transportation options
- Exploring incentives, such as free rides or expedited security screenings
- Focusing on employees, who may be more willing to shift to public transit