2. New York-Newark, N.Y.-N.J.-Conn.
AP Photo/Seth Wenig
The Big Apple is No. 1 in total number of passenger trips and government spending per capita on public transit. The area’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority operates at a staggering capacity: its 2010 operating budget was $13.4 billion, and the average weekday ridership is estimated to be over 8.4 million. All told, the city accounted for 40 percent of the nation’s transit trips in 2008.
