mass transit

noun

chiefly US
: the transportation of large numbers of people by means of buses, subway trains, etc., especially within urban areas
also : the system, vehicles, or facilities engaged in such transportation
I rode mass transit—first the bus, then Metro—for nearly two decades. Fred Barnes

Examples of mass transit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Operators have added more stores, restaurants and bars, especially as more travelers take mass transit and rideshares to airports and parking income declines. Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 19 Aug. 2023 The associations contend that cutting the amounts of available parking in those areas will lead to spillover parking in neighborhoods that don’t have easy access to mass transit or whose residents need their cars for work. Antonio Olivo, Washington Post, 29 July 2023 New York City is ready to build a first-in-the-nation congestion pricing program to collect billions of dollars from drivers to fund mass transit while discouraging cars from coming into Midtown Manhattan. Ana Ley, New York Times, 21 July 2023 Transit and passenger service jobs include people who work within mass transit system as well as taxi and school bus drivers. Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 6 May 2023 The project, expected to cost a stunning $10.7 billion, will be funded by New Jersey Turnpike tolls — money opponents argue would be far better spent improving the state’s mass transit system. Tracey Tully, New York Times, 7 Aug. 2023 This Company Could Be Crucial to Biden’s EV Charger Agenda The scooter business boomed in the early days of the pandemic, with commuters wary of crowds taking Revel’s mopeds instead of using mass transit. Time, 26 July 2023 Also, replacing the freeway with improved streets would help encourage people to bike, walk and use mass transit as an alternative to cars, according to 1,000 Friends of Wisconsin and other environmental and urbanist groups. Tom Daykin, Journal Sentinel, 12 July 2023 The agency recommends using mass transit to commute to the airport. Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 29 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mass transit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1930, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mass transit was in 1930

Dictionary Entries Near mass transit

Cite this Entry

“Mass transit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mass%20transit. Accessed 26 Sep. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!