Blog

You could feel the excitement—even on Zoom—during United for Infrastructure Week 2021. For years, there has been talk in Washington about passing major infrastructure legislation, but little has happened. This year feels different.

The voices of our advocates nationwide power our movement to improve and expand public transportation in communities of all sizes. Your personal stories make it clear that public transportation can transform lives and benefit communities.

Congress deserves a big thank you for supporting essential services—including public transportation—in the American Rescue Plan Act. Emergency funding has been provided several times in the last year, but this funding is focused on keeping our transit systems running throughout the pandemic and isn’t part of a long-term solution.

Public transportation is helping to save lives and keep our communities strong, but the pandemic is straining public transit systems. Congress can help by providing a new round of emergency funding to close the gap.

Voices for Public Transit welcomes new and returning members of Congress back to Washington! We are excited to begin working with Congress and the many  new faces in the Biden Administration. Thank you for your past—and future—support for public transportation. Communities across the country benefit every day from public transportation, but more must be done to champion this vital, essential service.

Big changes are just weeks away in Washington. The new Congress convenes on January 3, this election cycle will wind down after the Georgia Senate runoffs on January 5, and President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris take office on January 20. Under a new presidential administration and Congress, there is an opportunity for elected officials from both sides of the aisle to unite and support public transit.

2020 has been a historic year—by many measures. Our nation has struggled, but communities have also pulled together to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and provide relief for the most vulnerable.

Public transit won big on the ballot this year, with results across the country showing that voters overwhelmingly support transit issues and investments in their communities. Voters approved 15 of 18 local ballot measures supporting public transit in the general election—adding to 32 measures passed earlier this year.

Public transportation will appear on ballots in regions all across the country—and your vote counts. You may be able to support public transit with your vote in more than one way.

American public transportation systems are facing a perfect storm: $32 billion in COVID-19 emergency funding is urgently needed to maintain safe, reliable operations that enable essential healthcare, pharmacy, grocery, utility, and other workers get to their jobs. Long-term transportation funding expires on September 30 and we need to maintain and repair our current public transit systems. We still need a bold infrastructure plan the enables our growing nation to get around in the years ahead. We need Congress to tackle all of these priorities, beginning with emergency funding.