“On behalf of our 1,500 public and private sector organizations, and the riders who take nearly 10 billion trips each year, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) congratulates U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), the new Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (T&I Committee) and U.S. Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO), the new Ranking Member of the T&I Committee.
“Both Chairman DeFazio and Ranking Member Graves are tireless advocates for transportation investment and have worked together in a bipartisan manner to champion initiatives that advance public transportation.
“APTA looks forward to working with both Chairman DeFazio and Ranking Member Graves to develop bipartisan infrastructure investment legislation that is critical to modernize aging and outdated infrastructure and to continue to grow the economy. As the nation’s crumbling infrastructure ages, our transportation systems are in dire need of investment. Nearly $90 billion is needed just to bring the nation’s public transportation systems into a state of good repair.
“This legislation will also expand mobility options so that people can get to jobs, schools and medical facilities. Overall, 87 percent of public transportation trips directly benefit the economy by getting people to work and connecting them to local businesses.“APTA also looks forward to working with them on other critical issues that face our nation including reauthorization of the FAST Act.”