Modes of Transportation Used regularly in 1969 divided by race and gender

In order to study public transportation over the past few decades, sources were taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics understand how certain population groups affected public transit lines in a growing city, and how these lines affected where Atlanta residents distributed themselves. The source taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows a graph that specifies what modes of transportation people in Atlanta used in 1969. The graph presents that a larger percentage of African Americans used public transportation than whites. White people’s primary mode of transportation was to drive their personal vehicles enabling them to travel further and more efficiently outside of the city. It is interesting to point out that females tended to utilize the buses more than their male counterparts in both races. The use of public transportation also showed a correlation to a longer commute time and a larger cost associated with each commute (Bederman). According to an Article from the Southeastern Geographer, Black males spent significantly more money on the commute to and from work than whites. These graphs raise an interesting concern because public transportation at the time had many flaws concerning efficiency and safety (Golembieski). The high monetary cost, long amounts of time spent commenting and lack of safety greatly affects which jobs people that only have access to public transportation can work and where they can travel to. The concern with a certain demographic group being the primary users of public transit is that it makes it very difficult to enact change and improvements, because typically the people in office are not being affected by this problem.

GOLEMBIEWSKI, ROBERT T. “MARTA IN THE 1990s: THE CHALLENGE CONTINUES.” Public Administration Quarterly, vol. 18, no. 2, 1994, pp. 151–175. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40861617.