Photo Courtesy of Riders Alliance
Thursday’s #TransformTransit rally was held at Diversity Plaza in Jackson Heights.
By Forum Staff
Riders, workers, and elected officials on Thursday launched a new campaign to #TransformTransit.
The Jackson Heights crowd demanded a shift in federal funding, prioritizing transit upgrades, including modern signals, station accessibility, and bus electrification for the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
The rally echoed demands from across the nation for a new $20 billion in annual federal funding to enable transit systems to maintain and expand transit service levels and keep fares affordable to riders. Of the new $20 billion in nationwide spending, TransitCenter estimates New York’s MTA would receive $3 billion.
Key #TransformTransit Demands:
Equitable funding for public transit across the nation: Congress must end the 80/20 split between highway and transit funding that fuels the decay of urban infrastructure, widens racial divides, and worsens climate change.
A debt-free MTA capital program: Congress should provide $20 billion to aid the MTA’s $51 billion 2020-2024 capital program, enabling the agency to perform essential upgrades without borrowing more money, a crucial change after a pandemic year in which debt skyrocketed and revenue plummeted.
New support for transit operations: Congress should provide $20 billion in annual federal operating support for frequent and affordable transit service, via a formula that delivers at least $3 billion each year to the MTA to rebuild and expand service and freeze fares as ridership rebounds from the pandemic.
According to the Riders Alliance, the MTA carries nearly 40 percent of the nation’s transit riders. With a $17 billion annual operating budget, $51 billion five-year capital program, and heavy reliance on revenue from fares, the MTA was hammered uniquely hard by the loss of ridership during the pandemic. The federal government’s $15 billion in aid between March 2020 and March 2021 is expected to last the agency through 2023, enabling buses and trains to keep running as ridership slowly returns from about 40 percent of its pre-pandemic total today.
“When we worked cleaning the trains, we felt powerless, because our work was undervalued,” said Astrid Villalba, member leader of New Immigrant Community Empowerment. “We want dignified and fair jobs for immigrant workers who have endured all this year cleaning the trains. We’re standing on the precipice of a post-pandemic life – why would we disregard what we’ve learned over the last year? We saw firsthand the vital importance of our public transit system, now is the time to press forward with a sustainable, long-term investment in affordable, accessible transportation.”
“Now is the moment to transform public transit for the millions of New Yorkers who rely on it,” added Riders Alliance Executive Director Betsy Plum. “The future of our buses, trains, and paratransit depends on a sustainable federal partnership and investment in new infrastructure and in frequent, affordable service. Congressional leaders must once again deliver for riders so that our transit doesn’t merely survive day to day but can truly thrive and be the backbone of a more just, equitable, and resilient city.”
