Advocacy groups that think it’s a waste of money to build transit or bicycle infrastructure often argue that since gas taxes come from drivers, so should all transportation funding.

This chart from Pew shows where the transportation money comes from; it’s not all drivers:

Images from the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Basically, the bluish areas are revenues which come specifically from drivers: gas taxes, vehicle taxes, and tolls. The greenish ones are other revenues: property taxes, general fund transfers, and other funds.

Some of the gas tax money goes to transit operations as well, but the vast majority doesn’t:

Thanks to Matt Yglesias at Vox for pointing out this chart and the report.

David Alpert created Greater Greater Washington in 2008 and was its executive director until 2020. He formerly worked in tech and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco Bay, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He lives with his wife and two children in Dupont Circle.