The pandemic brought about sudden and severe cutbacks in service last spring. Nearly all transit agencies have restored some service since then, but a TransitCenter analysis shows wide variation.

A new coalition of environmental, labor, and business leaders is working with elected officials in Baltimore to pass the Transit Safety and Investment Act, a bill currently moving through the Maryland state legislature. The bill would require the Maryland Department of Transportation, which oversees the Maryland MTA, to spend millions more annually on MTA maintenance and operations over the next five years

Earlier this week, the American Public Transportation Association requested $39.3 billion in relief funding to help transit agencies maintain service and withstand the financial impacts caused by COVID-19. A plan moving through in Congress would reserve about $30 billion for transit. And the Biden administration had earlier proposed $20 billion for transit in the next relief package. What should we make of these different proposals?

Our latest video illustrates how increasing the amount of transit service by 40% can dramatically expand access to good transit and bring many more jobs within reach of riders.

Compared to Congress, the power of US DOT to directly allocate transportation resources is small. But in the hands of the right team, Pete Buttigieg’s department can still exert immense influence on the transportation landscape.

Debra Johnson, the first woman to hold the top leadership post at RTD, and the first CEO since 1995 to be hired from the outside rather than promoted from within, will bring a fresh eye and a multi-city resume that’s relevant to RTD’s challenges.

We present this preliminary analysis as a summary and guide to the geographic distribution of transit funds in the December COVID relief package.

On December 17th, TransitCenter held a ceremony recognizing this year’s Frequency Award winners. Here’s a list of the honorees, and a bit about why their work was so important: 

The Women Changing Transportation program is pleased to present the second installment of videos from our conversation series.

Despite the upheaval brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, Sound Transit and LA Metro are moving ahead with affordable housing commitments, and are on track to make thousands of homes priced below the market rate available over the next several years.  

This week and next, public transit riders groups, transit agencies, and transit worker unions are holding “Transit Is the Future” Forums across the country.