APTA opposes financing cuts to public transportation

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The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) recently stated it strongly opposes cuts to public transportation and intercity passenger rail programs to pay for the Trump Administration’s infrastructure initiative.

The Administration plans to cut all public transportation funding, according to reports from the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

These cuts would harm a nation that already underinvests in public transportation, APTA said.

The current State-of-Good-Repair gap in the industry is $90 billion.

“Public transportation is an integral part of America’s infrastructure,” APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas said. “It is an essential element in making the nation’s transportation network function. Facilitating efficient surface transportation, including public transportation, has long been recognized as a federal responsibility and it is critical to our global economic competitiveness. In fact, 87 percent of the 35 million trips taken each day on public transportation directly impact the economy – because Americans ride public transit to commute to work or to spend money at retail businesses and entertainment venues.

APTA urges the White House and Congress to continue their support of bipartisan programs like Amtrak, Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, and Capital Investment Grants in the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act.

It also calls for Congress to address the Highway Trust Fund’s solvency.