Transit
Basics
FTA Opens the Door For More Transit Expansions to Receive Federal Funding
One of the most important federal transit programs has undergone a makeover, and transit advocates are cheering the results.
January 7, 2013
Transit Tax Benefit Equalized With Parking Benefit in Fiscal Cliff Deal
Happy New Year, transit riders! Thanks to some shrewd maneuvering on the part of some U.S. Senators, transit commuters will be able to claim as much in tax benefits as car commuters do in 2013.
January 2, 2013
In Homage to Daniel Inouye, Feds Commit to Funding Honolulu Transit
Senate titan Daniel Inouye passed away Monday at 88. The Hawaii senator was the longest-serving member in the chamber at the time he died.
December 20, 2012
Seven Jiu-Jitsu Moves for Advocates to Use MAP-21 to Their Own Advantage
OK, truth: Raise your hand if you find federal transportation legislation intimidating and incomprehensible.
December 11, 2012
Shifting Political Winds Begin, at Last, to Favor Transit in Detroit
On Friday, state legislators in the Michigan House of Representatives made a momentous decision to approve a regional transit system for metro Detroit.
December 10, 2012
Smaller Cities Taking on Big Transit Projects
Grand Rapids, Michigan. Fort Collins, Colorado. Savannah, Georgia.
December 7, 2012
Four Republicans Who Might Work Across the Aisle on Transportation
UPDATE: An earlier version of this article included Robert Dold as the fifth potential aisle-crosser. I've since been informed that Dold lost his re-election bid this year. Charlie Bass and Judy Biggert, named briefly at the bottom for supporting the Senate transportation bill and Amtrak funding, also lost their elections, making this list even shorter.
December 4, 2012
Detroiters Serenade Lawmakers to Put Unified Transit System Over the Top
This morning, as lawmakers inside the Michigan statehouse heard testimony on the creation of a regional transit system for greater Detroit, supporters held a musical demonstration outside, singing "Ain't no mountain high enough to keep us from getting a regional transit authority." The singers, who hailed from the city proper and its suburbs, are hoping the divided metropolitan region can finally enact the transit unity that has long eluded it.
November 28, 2012
GAO: States “Flexing” Fewer Federal Dollars to Transit
Supporters of livable streets may hear about the “flexibility” of transportation dollars and cringe – after all, that word often refers to the ability of states to use bike/ped money for road building. But flexibility can work both ways. Between 2007 and 2011, states devoted $5 billion in surface transportation funds -- known in some quarters as "highway money" -- to transit programs, according to the Government Accountability Office.
November 21, 2012