RTS is applauding Congress’s passage of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, which fully restores the 5340 High Density States Program transit funding.
“The passage of the federal transportation bill this week is great news for RTS and the State of New York,” said Bill Carpenter, CEO of RTS. “The five year, fully-funded bill provides a level of stability we haven’t seen in many years. I thank the entire New York Delegation, particularly Senator Charles Schumer whose efforts led to retaining the 5340 High Density States Program funding, and Representatives Louise Slaughter and John Katko for their critical roles in getting this done. I also thank my colleagues at transit systems around the state for their hard work and partnership on this effort, as well as the many transit industry-related businesses, community partners and citizens who made their voices heard during this process. We wouldn’t have achieved this positive outcome without this united effort.”
Had the funding for the 5340 High Density States Program been eliminated, RTS would have lost $17 million in federal funds over the next six years. Had that happened, RTS would have faced the prospect of drastic service reductions and a smaller fleet, and the constant requests for more service would have been turned away.
