APTA survey shows voters want to see emergency funding for transit
A FirstView™ Presidential Election Post-Election survey directed by Heart+Mind Strategies for the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) found U.S. voters support emergency funding for transit, as well as Congressional action to fix the industry’s infrastructure crisis.
APTA has requested Congress act to provide public transportation with $32 billion in emergency financial aid as the agencies continue to provide service to essential workers, while battling financial crises of their own brought on by reduced revenues from declining ridership and other sources.
The respondents to the survey, which was conducted between Nov. 3 and Nov. 4, self-identified as Democrats, Republicans and Independents. APTA notes a few highlights of survey include:
- 77 percent of voters want to see emergency funding for public transportation;
- 74 percent of voters approve of the new administration and Congress taking action to fix the public transportation infrastructure crisis facing the U.S.; and
- 71 percent said public transportation keeps communities working and is essential to keep society functioning.
“These survey results clearly show that Americans not only want actions now to save public transit during the pandemic, but they want continued long-term actions that preserve and expand public transit services,” said APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas.
The results of APTA’s survey are also supported by the actions of voters on Nov. 3 in several areas of the U.S. who approved 15 of 18 transit focused ballot measures. According to APTA’s Center for Transportation Excellence, transit ballot measures have a 91.48 percent win rate in 2020.
However, despite the support, APTA offered a bleak reminder that without at least $32 billion in additional emergency funding, many public transit agencies will soon be forced to make severe route and labor cuts.
“APTA implores Congress and the administration to come together to provide emergency funding for public transportation as quickly as possible,” said Skoutelas. “The crisis becomes more severe each day that Congress delays. The public transportation industry continues to serve essential employees every day, but without additional emergency funding, many transit agencies will need to make draconian cuts to transit services and routes and furlough transit workers, leaving our communities without service and jobs when they need them most.”
APTA asked its transit agency members and business members about the impacts of the pandemic in September and found six in 10 public transit systems will need to reduce service and furlough employees in the coming months without emergency federal funding from Congress. In addition, more than eight in 10 businesses have seen a reduction in their transit industry business as a result of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and nearly one-third of transit industry businesses are concerned that they may go out of business if additional federal funding is not provided.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
