February 7, 2002
The Honorable Kent Conrad
Chairman
Senate Committee on the Budget
SD-621 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-6100
Dear Chairman Conrad:
On behalf of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and
its 1,400 public and private member organizations, I write to express our views as the Committee works to develop the FY 2003 Congressional Budget Resolution.
APTA urges the Committee to fund the federal transit program at no less
than the $7.2 billion level guaranteed under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA 21) in FY 2003 and included in the Bush
Administration FY 2003 budget proposal. We also ask the Committee to preserve the integrity of the mass transit discretionary funding category by taking action to keep the guaranteed funding firewalls in place beyond September 30, 2002, consistent with the clear intent of TEA 21.
Thanks in part to the federal investment in the federal transit program
and the predictability of guaranteed funding under TEA 21, transit ridership has grown by 21 percent over the last five years. Ridership is now at its highest level in 40 years. However, this ridership growth means that additional investment is needed in transit infrastructure to meet increased demand for service. According to the U.S. DOT, more than $17 billion is required to maintain and improve current transit conditions – and this estimate is based on projected ridership growth well below actual levels. When actual
ridership levels are applied to the DOT data, public transportation needs exceed $25 billion in annual capital investments.
Investment in the surface transportation system, including transit,
helps facilitate a healthy, growing economy. Transit helps ensure the efficient movement of goods, services, and people that businesses depend on. A recent study by Cambridge Systematics, Inc. finds that investment in public transportation produces 31,000 to 57,000 jobs for each $1 billion spent and businesses sales gains of $3 billion for every $1 billion invested in transit capital.
Public transportation also provides reliable mobility in times of
crisis. On September 11, public transportation in New York City, Washington, D.C., and other cities around the country safely moved countless thousands of people from closed airports and downtown areas to their homes and families.
We appreciate your consideration of our views. If you have any questions, please have your staff contact Rob Healy of the APTA staff at (202) 496-4811 or
rhealy@apta.com.
Sincerely yours,
William W. Millar
President
WWM/ked
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