University of California Transportation Center

One of the most critical issues facing the airport system today is ground access. Nearly every airplane trip begins and ends with the use of an automobile. It is estimated that over 90 percent of airline passenger trips to or from the airport are by private automobile or taxi. This estimate is almost 100 percent at the medium or smaller airports since these communities tend not to have comparable alternatives to the automobile. It is recognized that airport ground access is a major issue and in some cases a constraint to airport development or airside capacity. In order to accommodate the future growth of the air transportation industry, innovative approaches to moving passenger to and from airports should be explored.