House Passes Bill Increasing Public Transit Funding
by Leslie Wollack
 As Congress prepared to leave Washington and face the voters during the July 4 recess, the House debated legislation to provide $1.7 billion in grants to mass transit authorities in both urban and rural areas to partially offset the rapid increase in fuel costs. Facing a presidential veto over funding for operating assistance versus capital costs, the House voted 322-98 to adopt H.R. 6052, the Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act to meet the growing demand for affordable, convenient public transportation.
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar
(D-Minn.), at a press conference about the legislation, called the bill “a downpayment on an increased investment in public
transportation” and noted that the American people are way ahead of Congress by
“voting with their feet” to increase transit ridership by 1 million new riders
per day this past year.
Oberstar called the bill a “wise investment of scarce public dollars” to
support local public transportation programs.
In a statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), characterized public transit as “an affordable alternative to driving,
saving the average household $6,251 every year, and reducing dangerous carbon
dioxide emissions by more than 4,800 pounds per year per person.”
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), a strong proponent of public
transportation as a former city council member in Portland,
and in the House, said during the press conference that the bill would “give Americans choices now” to use
public transit as an alternative and “strengthen transit agencies that need
help.”
At the press conference, Roger Berliner, a county commissioner for Montgomery County, Md.,
thanked Chairman Oberstar, House Transportation Subcommittee Chairman Pete
DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Blumenauer on behalf of local governments for
their leadership on increasing resources for public transportation. “All roads lead to the same solution: allow our citizens an option to avoid high gas
prices” by increasing transit options, said Berliner.
In addition to $1.7 billion of capital and operating funds for transit
agencies distributed under current urban and rural transit formulas, H.R. 6052
would increase the federal share for clean fuel and alternative fuel transit
bus and ferry from 90 to 100 percent, establish a vanpool pilot program and
increase the federal share for additional parking facilities at end-of-line fix
guideway stations.
The Senate has not scheduled any action yet.
Mass transit systems are strained by having to pay the same record fuel
prices as consumers, as well as meeting increased ridership, at a time when a
slowing economy means lower tax receipts and less money for transit.
Transit agencies are paying 44 percent more than last year for diesel fuel,
according the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), at the same
time that Americans are increasing their use of public transportation.
According to APTA, last year 10.3 billion trips were taken on U.S. public
transportation — the highest number of trips taken in 50 years. In the
first quarter of 2008, public transportation continued to climb and rose by 3.3
percent. In contrast, the Federal Highway Administration has reported
that the vehicle miles traveled on the nation’s roads declined by 2.3 percent
in the first quarter.
APTA found that bus ridership had an increase of 2 percent nationwide over
the same period. Bus travel in all size communities saw ridership increases;
communities with a population of less than 100,000 had a 7.8 percent increase. The highest increases at the largest bus agencies occurred in the following
cities: San Antonio (10.6 percent); Denver (9.4 percent); San Diego
(6.8 percent); Minneapolis (6.7 percent); Seattle
(6.2 percent) and Phoenix
(5.4 percent).
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