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Government Affairs |
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March 10, 2002
The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st
Century (TEA 21) authorizes the most significant investment in
public transportation in U.S. history – $41 billion over a
six-year period. $36 billion of those funds is "guaranteed" –
protected by a unique "firewall" erected between most programs
funded under the U.S. domestic discretionary budget and
transit and highway aid programs. In addition, TEA 21 brought
about significant policy changes beneficial to transit users
across the nation.
TEA 21 has been a resounding success. Transit usage
has grown in each of the past six years; in 2001 ridership was
at its highest annual level in more than 40 years. The
investments and policies resulting from TEA 21 have been vital
to ridership growth.
TEA 21 has increased investment in transit. During
the first half of TEA 21, FY 1998 through FY 2000,
federal funds helped purchase nearly 27,000 buses and vans and
over 1,000 rail cars. Sixteen new rail and busway lines and
extensions were opened during those first three years. By FY
2003, the final year of TEA 21, annual federal investment in
public transportation will be 65 percent higher than it was in
FY 1997, the last year of the previous
authorization.
TEA 21 includes new provisions that help increase ridership
and improve dependability of transit service.
Investment in preventive maintenance allows transit agencies
to extend the economic life of transit vehicles and operate
them at peak efficiency, improving the quality and reliability
of service. Changes to the commuter benefit laws under TEA 21
provide significant tax savings for transit commuters,
encouraging large numbers of commuters to use public
transportation. The Job Access and Reverse Commute programs
fund innovative services that help low income workers find and
retain jobs.
APTA POSITION
- In reauthorizing federal transit and highway
programs, Congress should preserve the TEA 21 funding
guarantees, which ensure reliable and predictable
long-term federal investment in public transportation.
Congress should grow the federal program investment
levels in response to significant and growing public
transportation infrastructure needs.
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Contact: John Neff, Senior Policy Researcher, (202)
496-4812 or
jneff@apta.com.
