Reported by The Energy Mix
As a Democratic lawmaker from Georgia tries once more to garner support for a “transformative” four-year, US$80-billion transit bill, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS)—and at least one very fed-up union leader—are urging everyone responsible to vote “yes.”
The funding in Rep. Hank Johnson’s proposed Stronger Communities Through Better Transit Act would pay for an average 38% increase in transit service across the United States, “which would help create thriving communities and a better future for families,” Kevin X. Shen, transportation policy analyst at the UCS clean transport program, writes in a recent post.
Supported by the U.S. Sierra Club, the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU), the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO, and the UCS, Johnson’s reintroduced bill authorizes US$20 billion per year, an amount long recommended by transit advocates, says Shen. By helping to cover operating expenses, it will support transit agencies as they continue their still-uncertain recovery from the ridership collapse triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 70% of transit agency expenses are made up of “everyday expenses to pay bus and train operators and maintain the system,” Shen notes. So the $80 billion over four years will be “transformative,” buying nearly 100 million hours of transit service across the country.
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