Transit Alliance has joined at least 70 other organizations and signed onto a letter headed to the Speaker of the House, Rep Nancy Pelosi, and Minority Leader Rep Kevin McCarthy. This letter is asking for a commitment to increase funding for public transit nationwide.
Following the shutdown and shelter-in-place strategies to combat the spread of COVID-19, there has been economical fallout. It has hit transit agencies hard. With strained budgets and competing priorities that need, and deserve, funding it’s important that we don’t let transit get lost in the shuffle.
The first round of economic support, the CARES Act, did exactly what it needed to: it kept transit agencies going. Now, though, that funding is running low for some transit agencies. Plus, it won’t be enough long term to keep public transit operational without major cuts to routes and services. That cannot happen.
We all deserve a healthy and equitable economy, but chances are we won’t obtain that goal if our public transit is not funded properly. We have to focus on connecting people with jobs and educational opportunities. To do that, transit agencies need funding.
Our local transit agencies are ok . . . for now, thanks to diligent financial planning and the CARES Act funding earlier this year, but that won’t last forever. That was one-time funding for ongoing services.
Ensuring continued funding for public transit is must. And that’s why the Transit Alliance signed this letter.