Public transportation is an essential public service, and millions of Americans choose to ride transit each day to commute to work, get to school, the doctor, and religious services, and to visit friends and family.

Transit also keeps America’s economy thriving, and provides a lifeline to millions of people who for whatever reason do not own or drive an automobile.

Public transportation is an essential public service, and millions of Americans choose to ride transit each day to commute to work, get to school, the doctor, and religious services, and to visit friends and family. Transit also keeps America’s economy thriving, and provides a lifeline to millions of people who for whatever reason do not own or drive an automobile.

But transit in America is also facing some significant challenges. State funding is scarce. Terrorism is a constant concern. And, the quality of services provided to elderly and disabled Americans must be greatly improved.

We need to find ways to increase transit ridership while taking advantage of the many benefits that transit can provide to our communities.

The following is the ATU’s 10-point plan for improving the delivery of transportation services for all Americans, whether they are in grade school, retired, or any place in between:

1. Increased Funding – Legislation to increase the percentage or level of state spending directed towards public transportation, such as the dedication of gas tax revenues, interest on existing highway funds, motor vehicle excise taxes, tolls, loans to be made out of highway funds, or other resources, for transit use.
2. Public Transportation Benefits – Legislation requiring state employees to be offered a qualified public transit benefit equal to their commuting costs, not to exceed the federal limit of $105 per month, in the form of (1) pre-tax revenue or passes purchased by state agencies with appropriated funds; and (2) State tax incentives for companies whose employees use mass transit.
3. Getting People from Welfare to Work – Establishment of a pilot program at the State Department of Transportation that would provide resources to transit systems for so-called “reverse commute” service, helping people living in inner cities get to new suburban job locations.
4. Improving School Bus Transportation – 1) Requiring school bus drivers to be appointed to state, local or districtwide committees on student discipline; and 2) Clarifying the authority of school bus drivers to discipline students or enforce student conduct codes; and 3) Requiring training for school bus drivers on managing student behavior, safety and security awareness and emergency preparedness and response; and 4) Strengthening enforcement of and increasing penalties for violations of laws prohibiting motorists from passing a stopped school bus with its stop arm extended or red flashing lights engaged; and 5) Requiring private companies providing school transportation to meet certain mandated performance requirements for cost savings, service and labor standards, and employee protections.
5. Labor and Transit-Rider Membership on Public Transit Boards – Legislation requiring governors to appoint regular mass transit users and labor representatives to public transit boards as non-voting members.
6. Safety – 1) Requiring non-transit vehicles to yield to buses as they pull out of bus stops and back into traffic; and 2) Legislation requiring public transit operators to ensure that all relevant factors are taken into consideration before they contract-out paratransit services, requiring potential bidders to have a demonstrated ability to provide a high quality of paratransit services, which equal or exceed the quality of services which could be provided by the states’ public transit agencies; and 3) Extending public transit driver safety standards to the paratransit industry.
7. A Voice and a Vote in the Planning Process – (1) Legislation requiring governors to appoint transit workforce representatives, minority groups, transit riders, bicycle and pedestrian advocates, smart growth groups, businesses, and others with a direct stake in the provision of public transportation services to sit on metropolitan planning boards, with the right to vote.
8. Security – 1) Upgraded penalties for assault and battery on transit and school bus operators; and 2) No fare for off-duty police officers on transit vehicles; and 3) Requiring working communication devices on transit and school buses.
9. Health and Welfare – 1) Requiring minimum restroom breaks for transit operators.
10. Justice for Workers – 1) The Worker Freedom From Intimidation Act – giving employees the freedom to walk away from political or religious indoctrination and barring employers from firing or disciplining workers who choose not to attend or report unlawful “captive” meetings; and 2) The Fair Share Health Care Fund Act – requiring large corporations to spend the same percentage of their payroll to provide health care benefits for their employees as the average large employer in the state, preventing large employers from shifting their costs onto workers, taxpayers and other businesses; and 3) The Health Care Disclosure Act – allowing states to determine which employers are shifting their responsibility to provide health care coverage for their employees onto state taxpayers.