Where Do Buses Come From? Bus and Rail Schematics Show State-by-State Manufacturing

APTA research finds that 77 percent of federal public transit funds flow to the private sector, supporting American manufacturing and family-wage jobs. APTA’s updated bus manufacturing and rail car manufacturing schematics illustrate how federal public transit investment supports 3,000 suppliers in more than 1,700 communities in 50 states.

The schematics indicate which states have facilities that manufacture particular parts of a bus or train. For example, nine states—California, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, and Texas—are involved in the fuel system supply chain.  

The purpose of the visuals is to shine a light on the breadth and depth of the transit industry’s connection to American workers. As APTA calls on robust federal investment in next surface transportation law, the schematics are useful tools to highlight the nationwide network of jobs supported by transit manufacturing and to help policymakers better understand the industry’s economic impact in each state.

Development of the schematics is the result of a year-long research effort led by APTA’s policy development and research team who collaborated with external partners to collect nationwide data on the transit manufacturing supply chain. Once the raw data was compiled, the research team conducted a comprehensive analysis to identify the suppliers. The findings are presented in the visuals.

In addition to the current schematics, two new schematics on bus maintenance facilities and rail stations will be released at APTA’s upcoming Legislative Conference in Washington, DC.