Washington, DC – Amalgamated Transit Union President Larry Hanley issued the following statement to mark the 50th anniversary of the Urban Mass Transportation Act.
“Fifty years ago, today, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Urban Mass Transportation Act into law, to achieve, as he said, “better systems for getting our people to work and home again – and getting them there with speed and safety and economy and comfort.”
“Americans have benefited greatly from the commitment they made to mass transportation a half century ago. Our nation’s investment in public transit is inviolable; it provides vital mobility for millions, helps clean the air, save energy, create countless jobs and invigorate our economy.
“But today Congress has dropped the ball on that commitment to invest in public transit despite the fact that ridership is at record levels. Cash-strapped transit systems from Detroit, MI, to Tacoma, WA, to Long Island, NY, to Pittsburgh, PA, have had to cut service or increase fares. Commuters all over the country are paying higher fares and waiting longer for crowded buses and trains, if they come at all.
“With the current US transportation bill set to expire on September 30, and the trust fund set to run dry as early as August, it’s time for Congress to recommit the nation to the goals outlined by President Johnson when he signed the legislation, which has become an essential engine of economic progress for our nation.
“We urge Congress to reject the pressure coming from the “penny-wise and pound-foolish” elite who would cut the public transit investments. It’s time to act as the 88th Congress did in 1964 and set aside partisan politics in the interest of our nation and pass a multi-year transportation act that provides for increased funding to operate our public transit systems.”