“On behalf of the more than 1,500 members of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), I congratulate President-Elect Barack Obama on his recent announcement of support for a major economic stimulus package that includes transportation infrastructure investment.  Investing in public transit can quickly create hundreds of thousands of green jobs for Americans and help get our economy get back on track. 

In a recent APTA survey, its members have reported that they have at least 736 public transportation projects that can be initiated within 90 days of approval of federal funding.  Worth a total of $12.2 billion, these public transportation investments would create over 340,000 green jobs for Americans and help transit systems meet the steadily growing demand for public transit services.

Over a period of two years, an estimated $32.4 billion in transit investment projects could be started that would create more than 900,000 jobs.

In addition to helping our country’s economy, public transportation also plays a critical role in helping to reduce our country’s dependence on foreign oil and lower our nation’s carbon footprint, two national goals that President-Elect Barack Obama supports.”