A US Congressman once proclaimed that, " There can be no doubt that the transportation sector is the most critical sector of our economy." I know exactly what the means. In this day and age, access to transportation is considered a necessity.

一个美国国会议员曾经发布过声明：毫无疑问，交通部现在是我们经济中最关键的一个部门。我知道他的意思，在今天这个时代，交通工具是必要的。

Public transportation is defined as a service that is available for use by the general public. It is a cheaper and environmentally friendly alternative. It is not a transportation service that you can arrange privately to suit your own personal convenience (although you may, to a certain extent, such as paying for a cabin or suite on a train or ship) since you have to consider other passengers who are riding and making similar arrangements with you.

公共交通是一种被定为公众提供服务的工具，它更便宜也更环保。它不是一种你可以依据自己个人便利安排的服务，（虽然在某种程度上你可以在火车或船上付费得到一个格间）因为你也必须考虑到和你同车的其他乘客的需求。

I have experienced first-hand how important public transportation is.

对于公共交通有多重要我有着亲身体会。

I live in Saipan, a US territory and the closest things we have to public transportation are tourist and school buses. You have to have your own car or bike, rent a car, or pay upfront for a taxi to go from point A to point B. Otherwise you end up basked in sweat and sunburn traveling to work every day. When I first came here, I walked. I walked going to and from work. I walked to the store and lugged my heavy groceries back to the house. I walked to church and I barely got to go to places farther than a twenty-mile radius from my house since I did not own a car then, and I considered renting a car and riding a taxi such an expense for a starting single mother like I was at that time.

我住在美国的塞班岛，我们能接触到的最近的公共交通工具是旅游大巴和校车。你必须有一辆车或者自行车，或者租一辆车，或者预付款搭乘出租车，才能从A地点到B地点。否则你在每天上班的路上都会被晒得大汗淋漓。当我第一次来这里时，我选择了走路。我走路上下班，走着去商店，提着我沉重的行李走回家，走着去教堂。因为自己没有车，我很少去距离我家半径20英里以外的地方。我想过租一辆车和搭出租车，但是这对那个时候刚刚当上单身妈妈的我来说太贵了。

For me, public transportation is very important because of the following reasons:

对我来说，因为以下的理由，公共交通是非常重要的：

1. It save money.

According to research done by the American Public Transportation Association, individuals can save up to $9515 annually by parking their cars at home and using public transportation instead. In this economy, saving money has become a main concern in most households. With the rising prices of fuel and other vehicle-related expenses, doing the public commute to work and school certainly saves money.

1、省钱

按照美国公交交通协会的调查，一个人选择公共交通一年能省下$9515美元停车费。在这个经济社会，省钱是大多数家庭关心的主要问题。随着燃料单价上涨和汽车相关的昂贵费用，乘坐公共交通工具通勤和上学当然更省钱。

2. It helps the environment.

When you switch from driving your car to taking public transport, you are reducing your carbon footprint and making a great step forward in saving the environment. The environmental costs of individuals using their cars every day has done massive damage to the environment and if the majority or all individuals like you and me use public transport instead, think of what good we could do for the environment.

2、它有利于环境

当你由开车改为乘坐公共交通工具，你就减少了碳排放为保护环境前进一大步。个人每天使用汽车的环境成本已经在环境造成巨大的破坏，如果大多数人或者每个人都像你和我那样选择公共交通，想想看，我们为环境做了多好的事。

3. It will wean us out of energy dependence.

According to a paper made by Dr. Jean-Paul Rodrigue and Dr. Claude Comtois, transportation accounts for approximately 25% of world energy demand and for more than 62% of all the oil used each year. Ninety-five percent of transportation is almost completely the use of petroleum for other economic sectors, such as industrial and electricity generation, has remained relatively stable, the growth in oil demand is mainly attributed to the growth in transportation demand.

3、它将使我们摆脱对能源的依赖

按照珍妮教授和克劳德教授的论文所述，交通运输占据了世界上大约25%的能源和每年超过62%的石油。交通运输的95%几乎完全是石油的使用，用于其他经济部门，如工业和发电，一直保持相对稳定，石油需求的增长主要归因于交通运输需求的增长。  

When we strengthen our public transportation services, we are consequently lessening this oil demand and dependence. It will also motivate us to consider alternative energy and fuel resources.

当我们加强公共交通服务，我们对石油的依赖和需求也就会减少。它也会促进我们考虑用能源和燃料。

4. It provides ease and convenience

Having public transportation definitely eases some of the burdens of people who do not have cars prefer not to own one. They are provided with choices to use public transport. Public transportation also provides valuable services not just to local inhabitants in the area but to tourists as well. When a tourist visits a place, which does not have public transportation, their choices are limited and the experience they get is limited, too.

4、它提供了舒服和便利

有了公共交通无疑减轻了那些没有私家车的人负担。他们可以选择乘坐公共交通工具，公共交通不仅为当地居民提供超值服务，也为游客提供了宝贵的服务。当游客到一个地方旅游，如果这个地方没有公共交通，他们的选择会有局限，同时体验也会受局限。

All in all, public transportation improves our way of life, strengthens the community, provides new jobs for the public and gives us a cleaner environment.

总而言之，公共交通改善了我们生活的方式，加强了连接，为大众提供了新的工作机会，并且给我们一个更干净的环境。