California Transit Association submits recommendations for American Jobs Plan

The California Transit Association has submitted a series of recommendations to Senate and House transportation leaders outlining the association’s recommendations for future transportation legislation.

“The modernization of our nation’s public transit systems is vital to our economy and our environment. With the American Jobs Plan, President Biden has advanced a historic and realistic blueprint for how we Build Back Better as a nation,” said the California Transit Association Executive Director Michael Pimentel.

The association’s recommendations include:

• Using the core transit and rail funding levels included in the House-passed H.R. 2, Moving Forward Act, as a base to fund transit and rail programs; 
• Creating a national program to fund the transition to zero-emission buses, as well as zero-emission locomotive and ferry technologies;
• Providing significant new funding to prevent, reduce and withstand the impacts of natural disasters and climate crisis on the nation’s transit and rail infrastructure;
• Providing new funding to pilot and study reduced and fare free transit;
• Providing new funding to support the design and deliver of grade-crossing improvements and separations;
• Maintaining and expanding federal funding and financial tools that encourage transit-oriented development; and 
• Expanding and streamlining available financing tools such as America Fast Forward Transportation Bonds and Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loans.

“As Congress acts on the American Jobs Plan to deliver investments that will transform our transportation sector, California’s transit industry is uniquely positioned to offer recommendations on how to do it effectively and equitably. California’s transit agencies’ vast experience operating zero-emission buses, our long history developing state funding programs to support their deployment and our state’s success in helping to create a new manufacturing base can help support the creation of a strong national program to incentivize the transition to zero-emission buses across the country. Today, California has almost five times more ZEBs deployed than the next closest state in the nation,” added Pimentel.

 The association's full list of recommendations can be viewed on its website.