The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) recently called for the modernization of the nation’s aging infrastructure.
More than $90 billion would be necessary to improve the nation’s public transportation systems, according to the Federal Transit Administration. Public transportation received a grade of a D minus from the American Society of Civil Engineers.
The APTA joins other transportation organizations and members of the business community in their support of proposals for investing in infrastructure from the Trump Administration and Congress.
The best solution is a bill that will ensure the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund, APTA said. It supports an increase in the federal gas tax.
“Americans across the country deserve a public transit and highway network that is safe, reliable, and meets the demands of a 21st-century economy,” APTA President and CEO Paul Skoutelas said. “Congress and the Administration have an opportunity to put forth an infrastructure plan that our communities and economy desperately need.”
Investing in infrastructure has positive effects on the economy, APTA said. Approximately $4 is generated in economic returns for every dollar that communities invest in public transportation. In addition, millions of jobs are supported by infrastructure investment.
Nearly three-quarters of government investment in public transit moves through the private sector.