If you rode public transit today, congratulate yourself

Yay, us.

Americans last year used public transportation at a level not seen since the mid-1950s and the advent of the interstate highway system, according to the latest annual report by the American Public Transportation Assn. So why the self-congratulations? Because those numbers mean more people are opting to ride trains or buses rather than drive — though you might be a little skeptical about that if you spend any time on Los Angeles freeways.

Still, public transportation ridership passed 10.7 billion trips in 2013, the eighth year in a row that ridership exceed 10 billion, and an increase of 1.1% over the previous year. That compares with a .3% increase in vehicle miles traveled on roads. So as more of us are moving about during the course of the day, many of us are opting to take mass transit.

Growth in public transit usage has been significant for nearly two decades, up 37.2% since 1995 compared with a 22.7% rise in vehicle miles traveled. Population growth during that time has been about 20.3%, the report said.

In Los Angeles, ridership on Metropolitan Transit Authority trains and buses was up 5% last year, with an average weekday ridership of around 168,000. The reason local ridership increased more than the nation as a whole probably ties in with the addition of the Expo Line in June 2012, and the rebounding economy. Experts link increased public transit use with a stronger economy, since about 60% of public transit users are commuters.

So if you rode the train or bus to work this morning, take a bow.

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Follow Scott Martelle on Twitter @smartelle