"On behalf of the 1,500 members of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), I wish to convey our appreciation to President Obama and the United States Congress for the passage and signing of a bipartisan surface transportation bill titled "Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP21)." The signing of this bill provides a greater degree of certainty for public transportation agencies and private sector businesses to maintain, plan and implement public transportation projects.
Many of these projects are long overdue, and the bill includes improvements to keep our systems in a state of good repair; streamlines delivery of public transit projects; provides funding for new start projects and for a bus replacement and a bus facility program. MAP21 provides for stable funding for public transportation for 27 months and will run through September 2014. Prior to this bill the public transportation industry was operating under nine short-term extensions since 2009.
This law will provide predictable funding and helps public transit systems and businesses alike to plan and move forward with projects, as well as retain and create jobs.
The public transportation industry looks forward to working with the Administration to implement this new legislation, and provide affordable, convenient transit options for Americans."
