Press Releases

In response to the work of the Transportation Equity Network (TEN) and its allies, six prominent senators have introduced the Public Transportation Preservation Act, which would provide $2 billion of transit operating funds to avoid service cuts, fare hikes, and transit job losses.

The below statement is by Laura Barrett, Executive Director of the Transportation Equity Network:

All of us at TEN are pleased to see the needs of low-income people, people with disabilities, and older Americans placed front and center in the Senate’s Transportation Preservation Act. This bill is proof that Congress is listening to TEN members and allies across the country—people who are painting giant red Xs on buses and trains about to be cut, people who are speaking out about how transit crises are robbing them of access to jobs, health care, education, and opportunity.

It is inspiring to have such prominent senators say that equity issues are one of the main reasons they support public transportation. They put it in the second line of the bill: ‘Many low-income workers, older Americans, and people with disabilities depend on transit service to get to jobs and health care. Reduced service and higher fares can have a devastating effect on their quality of life.’

We’ve got a long way to go to get this bill passed, but with leadership from Senator Durbin, Senator Schumer, and others, we can stop service cuts and fare hikes from leaving low-income people stranded at the bus stop.

CONTACT: Stephen Boykewich, TEN Media Director, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 917-686-2426

In response to the work of the Transportation Equity Network, Representative Hank Johnson, and the Congressional Black Caucus, the US Department of Transportation has introduced a set of proposed changes to its Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program to expand the ability of women and minority-owned businesses to compete for federal contracts.

The below statement is by Laura Barrett, Executive Director of the Transportation Equity Network:

The DOT’s proposed rules are a huge step forward. We congratulate Rep. Johnson and the Congressional Black Caucus on their effective advocacy on behalf of the disadvantaged businesses that have struggled to get fair access to federal transportation contracts. The next steps for the USDOT should be to expand the bonding assistance for DBEs it introduced last year, and to increase transparency and accountability by requiring quarterly, publicly accessible reports on subcontracts to DBEs and actual work hours performed by minorities and women.

CONTACT: Stephen Boykewich, TEN Media Director, stephen@transportationequity.org, 917-686-2426

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that $775 million in federal funds are being made available to the nation’s transit providers to upgrade their bus systems. The below statement is from Transportation Equity Network Executive Director Laura Barrett ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 314-443-5915):

“We’re thrilled that the Obama administration has heard and acted on the message of TEN and its allies: our country is in the middle of a catastrophic transit crisis, with 84% of US transit agencies raising fares, cutting service, or both—at a moment when economically vulnerable Americans need transit options more than ever. When Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff announced the $775 million in funds to upgrade bus systems, he said what TEN and its allies around the country have been saying for months: we need to keep transit moving for the sake of our economy.

“Still, these funds only cover maintenance and improvements to bus systems, not the day-to-day operations that are facing massive cuts. These cuts are robbing the most vulnerable Americans of access to jobs, education, health care, and opportunity. The only way to truly keep America moving is to give transit agencies the freedom to use federal funds for day-to-day operations as well. Senator Sherrod Brown has introduced a bill that would let local public officials and local communities decide how best to use federal transit funds. That bill should become the law of the land.”

St. Louis, MO, April 19, 2010—From April 20-28, hundreds members of the Transportation Equity Network and their allies in eleven cities will hold a series of memorial services, rallies, and other actions to resurrect mass transit in their communities. On April 20:

-       In Atlanta, red Xs will be placed on MARTA buses and trains to illustrate how drastically service will be reduced without swift action

-       In the DC metro area, PRISCM and local Amalgamated Transit Union members will hold a pray-in with personal testimonies and songs about the need for transit

-       In Los Angeles, the Bus Riders Union, Move L.A., CALPIRG, and the Natural Resources Defense Council rally for federal transit operations funding

-       In Minneapolis and St. Paul, members of ISAIAH will conduct a phone-a-thon asking their congressional representatives to support emergency transit funding

The Week of Action will continue on April 27-28 with rallies by Transportation Equity Network member groups in San Francisco, St. Louis, and Kansas City, MO. The groups will announce their participation in a nationwide effort to restore service and avoid future cuts and fare hikes by supporting federal legislation that would provide hundreds of millions of dollars for transit operations around the U.S. (S. 3189).

WHO: Transportation Equity Network member organizations in eight cities

Grassroots transit leaders, clergy, allies from organized labor

WHAT: Week of Action by transit advocates to resurrect mass transit

WHEN: April 20-28, 2010

WHERE: Atlanta, GA; Washington, DC (Prince George’s County); Los Angeles, CA; Minneapolis, MN; St. Paul, MN; San Francisco, CA; Kansas City, MO; St. Louis, MO. Contact below for more details.

CONTACT: Stephen Boykewich, Media Director, Transportation Equity Network

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 917-686-2426