Transit Roundup

• APTA yesterday released a report on the impact of the recession on public transportation agencies. The report details the findings from a survey of transit providers regarding changes in revenue, budget shortfalls, changes in service levels and fares, and cuts in staff.

• While transit providers across the country have been forced to cut services or increase fares, or both, a new national poll conducted for Transportation for America shows support for improved public transportation. Support for expanded transit is found to exist not just in urban areas but also small towns and rural areas.

• The Natural Resources Defense Council recently released a report showing that rural states are hurt the most when gas prices increase. This relates to a more detailed SURTC study completed in 2008 that used county-level data to show how rural areas, and Indian Reservations in particular, are impacted more by higher gas costs.

• The Transportation Department announced this week a proposal to ban text messaging at the wheel by interstate truck and bus drivers. The proposal would make permanent an interim ban announced in January.

• Sioux City Transit is encouraging citizens to send in their census, saying it will have a big impact on their budget.

Senate Passes Jobs Bill, Extends Transportation Authorization Law

The U.S. Senate today passed the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act (HIRE), a $17.6 billion bill that includes tax incentives aimed at encouraging businesses to hire new workers. It also keeps federal highway and transit programs operating through 2010 by extending the current transportation authorization law (SAFETEA-LU) until the end of the calendar year, and it provides $19.5 billion to the Highway Trust Fund to keep it solvent through the end of the year. AASHTO provides a summary of the transportation provisions in the bill here.

APTA Releases 2009 Ridership Data: Ridership Down Overall but Mostly Unchanged in Rural Areas

Total U.S. transit ridership decreased by 3.8% from 2008 levels according to the Fourth Quarter Public Transportation Ridership Report recently released by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).  APTA attributes the decline in ridership to high unemployment, economic recession, and lower gas prices, as well as bus and rail service cutbacks resulting from lower state and local funding.

Despite the decline, ridership has still been growing faster than population over the past decade.  The 2008 ridership level was the highest in 52 years, and some decrease would be expected given the higher rates of unemployment and lower gas prices. Higher rates of unemployment mean that fewer people are traveling to work, and lower gas prices make automobile travel less expensive. The national unemployment rate increased from 5.8% in 2008 to 9.3% in 2009. Meanwhile, the U.S. average gasoline price decreased from $3.25 per gallon in 2008 to $2.35 per gallon in 2009. Research has shown that these factors do affect transit ridership. According to estimates obtained from a previous SURTC study, changes in unemployment rates and gas prices of these magnitudes could be expected to decrease ridership by as much as 10%, so a 3.8% drop is fairly modest. Ridership was down by less than 1% in 2009 compared to 2007 levels.

Further, while there was an overall decrease, the number of riders in rural and small urban areas was fairly constant, and ridership increased for demand response service.  Bus ridership declined by just a half percent in 2009 in areas with a population below 100,000 (and was actually up 1.5% in the fourth quarter), and demand response ridership rose 2.7%.

FTA Announces Final ARRA Grants

Funding for 191 new Recovery Act transit projects in 42 states and Puerto Rico was announced on March 5.  A total of $600 million in new funding was awarded.  In doing so, the Federal Transit Administration met its deadline of awarding 100% of its Recovery Act transit formula dollars by March 5.  Since the Recovery Act was signed in February 2009, the FTA has awarded 881 grants totaling $7.5 billion.

A complete list of the FTA Recovery Act formula grants can be found here in the ARRA Grants Digest.

House Passes Jobs Bill with Funding for Transit

The U.S. House passed a jobs bill yesterday that includes $36 billion for transportation projects. Of this, $27.5 billion is for highway projects and $8.4 billion will go to transit. The bill allows states to use 10% of their transit money on operating expenses. The legislation would also extend the current transportation law through the end of September 2010, and it transfers $20 billion into the Highway Trust Fund.

The Senate is expected to consider the bill early next year.

House and Senate Pass 2010 Spending Bill

The U.S. House passed an annual spending bill last week funding a number of federal agencies, including the Department of Transportation, and the Senate followed suit on Sunday. According to the AP, the bill includes $41 billion for highway construction, a slight increase, and as Streetsblog reports, the deal provides the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) with $10.73 billion for 2010 and includes $2.5 billion for high-speed rail.

FTA Annouces $32 Million for 100 Tribal Transit Projects

The FTA today awarded $32 million of funding for 100 tribal transit projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for the Public Transportation on Indian Reservations Program (Tribal Transit Program) and Fiscal Year 2009 appropriations for the Tribal Transit Program. A total of $17 million was made available for the Tribal Transit program under ARRA and $15 million from 2009 appropriation dollars.

A full list of funded projects can be found here.

FTA Seeking Applications for Livability-Related Transit Projects

The FTA is now seeking applications for the livability projects previously reported. The December 8 Federal Register has the details. Both urban and rural projects are eligible for the $150 million available from the Livability Bus Program. The application deadline is February 8, 2010.

"Ready-to-Go" Transportation Projects Identified for Potential Jobs Bill

Congress may soon be considering a second stimulus package to spur job creation. House Transportation Committee Chairman James Oberstar on Wednesday called for at least $69 billion in new federal spending on highway and transit projects as part of this bill to address a looming shortfall in transportation funding.

This came the same day that the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) identified thousands of "ready-to-go" projects that could be funded under such legislation. AASHTO identified 9,500 highway, bridge, transit, port, rail, and aviation projects worth more than $69 billion, including $9.8 billion for transit projects. By surveying transit agencies nationwide, APTA identified more than $15 billion in public transportation capital projects that can be started in 90 days.

The Transport Politic and Streetsblog Capital Hill provide some analysis.

FTA Announces Funding for Livability-Related Transit Projects

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced on Tuesday the availability of $280 million for transit projects as part of the Obama Administration's Livability Initiative, a joint venture of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). According to the FTA press release, $130 million will be available for streetcars and other urban circulator systems, while the remainder will be made available to both urban and rural communities:

A second pot of money totaling $150 million in unallocated discretionary Bus and Bus Facility funds will be available for projects that will foster the preservation and enhancement of urban and rural communities by providing new mobility options which provide access to jobs, healthcare, and education, and/or contribute to the redevelopment of neighborhoods into pedestrian-friendly vibrant environments.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) plans to announce grants early in 2010.