mass transit

noun

Updated on: 24 Apr 2018

Definition of mass transit

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

See mass transit defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of mass transit from the Web

The bill could have had large effects in large coastal areas across the state that are ringed by mass transit.

— liam dillon, latimes.com, "California lawmakers killed one of the biggest housing bills in the country," 18 Apr. 2018
The company also pledged to share data with cities to bolster mass transit services.

— nathan bomey, USA TODAY, "Uber CEO: We're cooperating with feds on self-driving car crash investigation," 11 Apr. 2018
Trump’s recent budget and infrastructure proposals would trim, and in some cases eliminate, federal programs for mass transit.

— patrick sisson, Curbed, "Transit spending increased in congressional spending bill," 22 Mar. 2018
About 85 percent of revenue from the gas tax is used for highway construction and maintenance, with the rest dedicated to mass transit, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.

— jennifer conn, akron reporter, cleveland.com, "Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study to propose federal gas tax increase to help pay for millions in local infrastructure needs," 12 Jan. 2018
In the latest Politically Georgia episode, host Greg Bluestein and AJC transportation reporter David Wickert discuss the mass transit and distracted driving bills that passed at the end of the legislative session.

— ajc homepage, ajc, "Podcast: Metro Atlanta transit and the bills that may become law in Georgia," 2 Apr. 2018
Every person who uses our highways or our mass transit system, counts.

— Fox News, "Sen. Graham on escalating tensions between Russia and the US," 1 Apr. 2018
The panel proposed that the state begin by investing in mass transit and by giving the city greater powers to enforce traffic violations.

— paul berger, WSJ, "Cities Look to New York to Lead the Way on Traffic Congestion," 27 Mar. 2018
Last fall, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D), citing ride-hailing’s drain on mass transit, successfully pushed for a 15-cent fee increase on Uber and Lyft trips to fund a modernization plan for the Chicago Transit Authority.

— Washington Post, "Bowser proposes tax increases, including on Lyft and Uber rides, to pay for Metro," 21 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mass transit.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.