TO: President-Elect Biden, Speaker Pelosi, Leader McConnell, Leader McCarthy, and Leader Schumer:
Our coalition of transit, labor, business, local governments, infrastructure, environmental and social justice leaders respectfully urges you to provide at least $32 billion in new funding to transit agencies nationwide, inclusive of no less than $3.1 billion for California’s transit agencies to address their operating budget shortfalls resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Transit agencies statewide have seen steep declines in ridership and revenues due to the pandemic-induced economic downturn, putting immense strain on operating budgets. As a result, they have been forced to dramatically reduce or suspend services and have begun, in some cases, to delay much needed infrastructure investments.
California’s public transit agencies need $3.1 billion in funding relief this year (through December 2021) to address their immediate operational needs and to prevent service reductions from becoming permanent. A viable public transit network is necessary to help support essential and frontline workers as well as communities disproportionately hurt by the pandemic, to protect strong and healthy communities, avoid the loss of thousands of good-paying local jobs, and to support a balanced economic recovery.