It was a strong election night for public transit. State ballot initiatives and millages calling for more public transit passed, reaffirming that Americans support and will pay for more public transportation says the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU).
“The people of these communities have spoken at the ballot box, and they want more public transit and are willing to pay more taxes to make that happen,” said ATU International President Larry Hanley. “This is the result of riders, workers and transit advocates mobilizing to fight for more, better and safer public transit."
These victories come as public transit ridership is at record levels and millennials are forgoing cars in favor of public transportation. The victories are part of a continuing and growing trend in elections as 72 percent of ballot initiatives raising taxes for transit have passed since 2000.
The following ballot initiatives and millages passed:
In Clayton County Ga., voters passed a referendum to expand MARTA to Clayton County with a 1 percent sales tax increase by a 73% - 27% margin. The MARTA tax is expected to generate revenue of about $45 million per year.
In Seattle, Proposition 1 passed overwhelmingly to fund additional King County Metro Transit bus service. The initiative, which had failed in previous elections, calls for increasing the city's sales tax by 0.1 percentage point and hiking car tab fees by $60.
In San Francisco, Alameda County and Monterey County voters backed ballot measures to raise billions through taxes for transportation improvements that put an emphasis on transit, bicycles and pedestrians.
In Bay City and Wexford County, Michigan, two tax millages passed that will fund public transit in these communities.
In Rossford County, Ohio, voters defeated a ballot initiative that would have opted the county out of Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority service.
“These victories should send a strong message to legislators at the federal, state and county levels that investing in public transit is the right thing for their communities,” said Hanley. “It invigorates local economies, creates jobs, provides mobility for all, helps fight pollution and improves the health of communities overall. The voters understand the importance of a robust public transit system and are willing to dig deeper into their pockets to help pay for it. Hopefully Congress will get the message and finally increase federal funding for public transportation.”
