Many commentators argue that by requiring drivers to pay more of the full cost of travel, road pricing can increase transit ridership. Recent research that looked at how drivers in Portland responded to the Oregon mileage pricing pilot project found that program participants who lived near transit facilities reduced the peak hour miles they drove, presumably by taking transit for some trips.47 Some research has also asserted that the increase in transit demand due to pricing could enable transit agencies to charge higher fares, thereby reducing per-passenger operating subsidies.48
Transit could also benefit from reduced roadway congestion through road pricing, which could lead to faster and more reliable bus transit services, thus increasing performance and making transit more attractive to a broader array of the public. Even pricing part of the network through a traditional turnpike or an HOT lane network can create a congestion-free route or network that buses can use to avoid traffic and provide higher-quality service.49 For example, the HOT lanes on Houston's Katy Freeway allow much improved express bus services along that route.50
In most rural areas, however, travel speed is not impaired by congestion and is generally less important as a driver of transit demand than other factors such as the needs of low-income individuals to have access to jobs and other locations through means other than cars.