CNBC Marathon examines the growing list of problems that U.S. public transit is facing and potential solutions to fix them. Public transit in the U.S. is notorious for being infrequent and unreliable. Americans had to wait 17 minutes on average to get on public transit in 2022, while 45% of Americans have no access to public transportation at all. And while the U.S. spends billions in funding every year, transits across the nation like the MTA, RTA and SEPTA are finding themselves in a fiscal crisis. Ultimately it’s the riders who are paying for the deficit. Hybrid work has meant fewer riders on New York City's subway and a drop in fare revenue for the system's operator the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The number of paid weekly subway riders on the New York City subway averaged 3.6 million in June, according to the MTA, compared with daily ridership of almost 5.5 million in 2019. Inflation and transit crime have also impacted subway ridership. One potential solution is Autonomous Rapid Transit: a cross between light rail and a city bus. Created by the CRRC in China, it’s a cost-effective alternative to Mass Rapid Transit. Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 00:39 Why The U.S. Gave Up On Public Transit (Published July 2023) 13:10 Why The NYC Subway Is Such A Mess (Published September 2023) 27:34 How An Autonomous Train-Bus Hybrid Could Transform City Transit (Published February 2023) Produced by: Juhohn Lee, Shawn Baldwin, Liam Mays Additional Camera: Ryan Baker Editorial Support: Dain Evans, Katie Brigham Graphics by: Jason Reginato, Christina Locopo, Josh Kalven, Alex Wood, Mallory Brangan Supervising Producer: Lindsey Jacobson, Jeniece Pettitt Additional Editing by: Jack Hillyer Additional Footage: Getty Images, Newspapers.com, CRRC, Peter Newman, BQX Additional Sources: TransitCenter, NBC News, SEPTA, RTA, LA Metro » Subscribe to CNBC: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBC » Subscribe to CNBC TV: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCtelevision About CNBC: From 'Wall Street' to 'Main Street' to award winning original documentaries and Reality TV series, CNBC has you covered. Experience special sneak peeks of your favorite shows, exclusive video and more. Want to make extra money outside of your day job? Take CNBC’s new online course How to Earn Passive Income Online to learn about common passive income streams. Register today and save 50% with discount code EARLYBIRD: https://cnb.cx/3Iwblnk Connect with CNBC News Online Get the latest news: https://www.cnbc.com/ Follow CNBC on LinkedIn: https://cnb.cx/LinkedInCNBC Follow CNBC News on Instagram: https://cnb.cx/InstagramCNBC Follow CNBC News on Facebook: https://cnb.cx/LikeCNBC Follow CNBC on Threads: https://cnb.cx/threads Follow CNBC News on X: https://cnb.cx/FollowCNBC #CNBC How To Fix Public Transit In The U.S. | CNBC Marathon