A tram in San Diego, California, where ridership aboard public transport has recently grown. Pexels

In U.S. cities, ridership on public transit is growing as the Iran War keeps gasoline prices high.

Weekday commutes aboard the Los Angeles public transit system have grown by 8 percent since January, Bloomberg reports . In the Bay Area, weekday ridership aboard the regional train system has risen by nearly 11 percent. Chicago has also seen transit ridership grow by 11 percent this year, while in Boston, usage of the local rail system has jumped by 13 percent.

It is not clear how much of the surge in ridership is due to high gas prices. But a recent report from the New York Federal Reserve found that many Americans are managing to consume less gas “potentially by carpooling or substituting to public transit where available.”

Research from the University of Maryland has found that for every 10 percent increase in gas prices over the course of a year, demand for public transit grows by 1.2 percent.…