Emergency transit funding bill introduced, tell your Senators to support it

May 25, 2010
By Stephen Lee Davis

Crowded Train Originally uploaded by Oran Viriyincy

Sound Transit in Seattle is one of hundreds of public transport agencies facing fare increases, service cuts or layoffs in 2010, according to the T4 America interactive map of the crisis.

A new bill that would provide $2 billion in emergency funding for public transportation agencies was introduced in the Senate today. (View official T4 statement here.)

For the last year or more, T4 America has been rallying support from our tens of thousands of individual supporters and 450+ partners from across the country to call on Congress to step in during this nationwide transit funding crisis brought on by this recession, threatening millions of riders and hundreds of agencies.

Today, led by a group of 7 Senators, Congress has taken a step forward. If you’re one of the thousands who called or emailed your representatives with this message, your efforts have paid off with this good news for public transportation, but the work is not finished yet.

The bill still needs lots of support to make it through the Senate in the coming weeks. Tell your senators: support emergency funding for transit systems!

The new bill — the Public Transportation Preservation Act of 2010 — was introduced today in the Senate by Senators Dodd (CT), Brown (OH), Durbin (IL), Gillibrand (NY) Lautenberg (NJ), Menendez (NJ), Reed (RI) and Schumer (NY). (Updated: The bill number is S. 3412.)

Specifically, it will:

…authorize $2 billion for transit agencies nationwide to help close funding gaps in operating costs. Transit agencies can use these funds to reduce fare increases and restore services that were cut after January 2009 or to prevent future service cuts or fare increases through September 2011. Agencies that have not increased rates or cut services and do not plan to do so may use the funds for infrastructure improvements.

It couldn’t come at a better time. Last year, Americans took more than 10.7 billion trips on transit, the highest level in over 50 years. Public transportation use has increased at nearly triple the growth rate of the US population.

If you’ve seen our interactive map of the Transit Funding Crisis, you know the situation: At the same time that public transit agencies are working so hard to serve growing ridership, they face shortfalls in state and local revenues. Transit agencies nationwide are being forced to cut service, raise fares, and lay off workers. Jobs and services are being eliminated for those in greatest need.

This bill will go a long way toward relieving the pain, but it’s up to us to make sure it gets passed. We can’t stand by while transit systems crash and burn.

Our lawmakers need to take a stand and say enough is enough: we can’t let our transit systems falter.

Filed under: Campaign Blog
Tags: action, featured, public transportation, public transportation preservation act, senate, transit

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Paul McGregor

Yes, this is good news and will benefit all states that have significant investments in transit. Let’s hope the economy will improve by 2011 to the point where we won’t be back here trying to seek more money again. I also hope that whatever happens with the new authorization bill that it does include some flexible funding that could be used for operations.
Keith Sullivan

I support any emergency funding!
CHAUMONT

Support emergency funding for public transportation system.
http://treasurevalleyinmotion.org Treasure Valley In Motion

Does this legislation provide for direct grants to transit agencies or are these matching funds. If they are, then Idaho looks set to miss out again because we have no dedicated state funds for public transportation.
http://t4america.org/author/sdavis/ Stephen Lee Davis

They will be direct grants, as I understand it, through federal formulas. No matching funds required. They can be used to backfill past cuts going back to January 1, 2009, or into the future through the end of FY 2011. From our press release:

“The Public Transportation Preservation Act would provide $2 billion in emergency assistance for operating expenses necessary to restore a major reduction in transit service and to hold off future fare increases due to decreased state or local funding that occurred on or after January 1, 2009. Funding would be distributed through existing formulas. The Act will help transit agencies avoid or minimize future service reduction and fare increases that are being contemplated through the end of FY 2011.”

If passed, Idaho would get their share through federal transit formulas.
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http://N/A Tatiana Kostanian

The public transportation in San Francisco is awful, especially for the elderly and disabled. We are concerned especially for transportation be ADA compliant. There is NOT enough Bus stops, stops that can appreciatively pick up two or more wheel chair patrons. Some electrical trams are not accesable for over 15 blocks or more and the public have waited over 35 years and more for the tram to be updated or the sites along the way to have more accesable support systems so disable may be able to gain entrance to the transport system. [patrons in manual wheelchairs don't have a fair chance]. The San Francisco Municiple Railway Transport System for over 40 years stated they have no funding to fix the system and the system is not worth fixing for the disabled or elderly. Yes, we have bus vans for some disabled but NOT enough. It is badly run, badly scheduled, if not enough transport for our lives. In a commission city meeting for the Mayors Disability Council, San Francisco MUNI said though it served round the clock tens of thousands of abled civilians, the N Judah was not worth fixing for disabled or elderly. Can you imagine being elderly or disabled, and being told in essence, your life does not count, or will be afforded or included in your cities public transport system? Why should we feel imprisoned, cut off from our cities or any connect of life? We the disabled and elderly believe it to be a nation’s and cities priority to make sure public transportation dOes NOT leave out our lives in
getting around to address our dàiy lives by using our public transportation system. We need to know
government Cares about us. Please help us from being stranded. Our MUNI Drivers are the 2nd highest paid drivers in the USA. Yet, we the disabled and elderly feel and remain betrayed. Fairness is a must as well ADA. We believe full transparency of MUNIs books should be fully audited. Something is not right when drivers can gain such high wages and the elderly and disabled lives are side stepped not honored. Please help us here in San Francisco.
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