This week, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), the senior Northeastern Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, spearheaded efforts in the House to increase vital transit funding in the FY2011 Transportation-HUD Appropriations bill. Nadler, joined by 66 colleagues, sent a letter (pdf viewable here) to the House Appropriations Committee requesting $14.88 billion in funding for federal transit programs, a significant increase beyond the $10.8 billion requested in the President’s FY2011 Budget.

“As we delve into our appropriations process for the coming year, it is essential that we provide sufficient federal funding to maintain our public transportation systems and increase their efficiency for riders,” said Nadler. “According to the American Public Transportation Association, $14.88 billion is the amount necessary to keep our transit systems in a state of good repair and accommodate an expected doubling of ridership over the next 20 years. Furthermore, during the current recession, transit funding will create and sustain thousands of quality jobs for hardworking Americans.”

In 2008, transit ridership reached its highest level in five decades, and the demand for transit service is on the rise. Unfortunately, public transportation agencies across the nation are finding it difficult to keep up with that demand, and, instead, have proposed job cuts, service reductions and fare hikes. This situation is likely to worsen as state and local governments are forced to make budget cuts in the face of economic recession and revenue shortfalls.

The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act helped to lessen the impact of the economic downturn by providing an additional $8.4 billion in transit capital funding. To date, approximately 87% of these funds have been awarded, with the remaining funds pending approval. Over 2,800 transit projects are under contract, producing over 89,000 direct on-project jobs. Unfortunately, much of this progress could be lost if we do not continue to provide adequate levels of investment in transit programs.

Efforts to increase transit funding are supported by the American Public Transportation Association, Transport Workers Union, Amalgamated Transit Union, and Transportation for America.