Transportation for America today hailed the introduction of emergency legislation to prevent disastrous service cuts and fare hikes that are threatening public transportation riders across America.

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.

Director of Transportation for America, James Corless, released the following statement supporting the act:

“With demand for public transportation service at its highest level in over 50 years, Congress must act to protect Americans who rely on transit from service cuts and fare hikes that threaten their ability to reach jobs and daily necessities. This act will help to preserve an economically essential service with a one-time, emergency infusion that will help to save jobs and access to jobs.

“Senators Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Richard Durbin of Illinois, Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Sherrod Brown of Ohio are to be commended for coming to the rescue of public transportation riders across the nation. The dire situation facing transit systems across the country – as they are forced to lay off workers, raise fares and cut service – highlights the critical need for Congress to pass the transportation authorization bill this year that would address America’s need for greater transportation options.”

UPDATED: Tell your Senator to support or sponsor this bill.

A few weeks ago, they introduced a bill that sets a bold new vision for federal transportation policy that’s in line with our goals for reform: building a cleaner, smarter, safer system that provides more travel choices for all Americans. But their bill — and real reform — needs the support of many more senators to become the law of the land. Ask yours to become cosponsors of the Transportation Policy and Planning Act of 2009 today.

In contrast to the transportation bills passed since 1991, this bold bill lays out clear guidelines for exactly what the next five-year federal transportation spending plan should accomplish, and several of Transportation for America’s proposals from our recently-released Blueprint were echoed clearly in the legislation.

• Reduce delay per capita by 10 percent,
• Reduce national motor vehicle-related fatalities by 50 percent, and
• Reduce national surface transportation-generated carbon dioxide levels by 40 percent, all by the year 2030.

If we’re going to get a truly transformative transportation bill in 2009, getting a large number of Senators to support this smart, principled bill would be a huge step in the right direction. As Sen. Frank Lautenberg told the Washington Post, “a national surface transportation policy for our country is long overdue. We need a transportation policy that reestablishes our leadership throughout the world when it comes to transportation — and meets our country’s transportation demands for generations to come.”

Write your Senator and tell them to cosponsor this important legislation today.