$8.4 Billion invested in Public Transportation creates jobs!

APTA Applauds ARRA Success and Encourages Congress to Continue Investment in Public Transportation

Thanks to the $8.4 billion investment in public transportation in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), 252,000 American jobs are being supported and created.  Since the enactment into law of ARRA one year ago today, 2,394 public transportation projects are underway.  No ARRA funding remains for new “ready to go projects,” but all remaining ARRA transit funding has been committed to projects.

“The facts are clear that public transportation infrastructure investment supports and creates good, quality ‘green’ jobs,” said APTA President William Millar.  “We urge the Senate to act now and pass the HIRE Act, which will provide a much-needed extension of current federal transportation programs.  Without an extension, thousands of public transit projects that are underway will be halted and hundreds of thousands of jobs will be lost.”

“In addition to passing the HIRE Act, I call on Congress to pass further jobs legislation that includes subsequent public transportation investment,” said Millar. “APTA has identified more than $15 billion in public transportation projects that could provide much needed American jobs and crucial funding for financially strapped public transportation systems that have been affected by the recession.”

Without a new jobs bill and a long-term transportation authorization, the contractors and suppliers that provide goods and services to public transportation systems will be forced to begin laying workers off as ARRA projects are completed.

“We have made great strides in the past year by putting hundreds of thousands of Americans to work in transportation-related jobs and we need to continue to build on this momentum,” said Millar.  “I strongly urge the Senate to act now and pass HIRE so that Congress has the time to pass a longer-term surface transportation authorization act that is essential to allow public transit systems and businesses to make their project and hiring decisions.”