The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas and Chair David M. Stackrow, Sr., sent a letter to Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on Jan. 29 asking that five items take priority as the government and transit agencies return to more normal operations.
APTA's letter recognized the backlog of requests faced by FTA, but said the priority action list would "ameliorate the significant impacts of the shutdown on public transportation agencies and the riders they serve."
APTA's requested priorities include that FTA:
- Process all pending requests for reimbursement for public transportation agencies, beginning with requests for reimbursement of operating expenses or identified hardships;
- Approve all pending requests for operating assistance and capital project approvals, including requests for Letters of No Prejudice;
- Complete the certification of State Safety Oversight programs of the four pending applications that are currently under review by FTA;
- Issue Fiscal Year 2019 apportionments for FTA programs as soon as possible and before the Continuing Resolution expires on February 15; and
- Take all other possible actions to help public transportation agencies restore public transportation operations and make critical infrastructure upgrades
"Public transportation is a lifeline for millions of Americans of all ages and incomes in urban, suburban, and rural communities and the government shutdown has strained public transportation agencies’ ability to connect people to their daily lives," Skoutelas and Stackrow wrote.
APTA surveyed its members in early January and found that 36 percent of transit agencies have been substantially impacted by the shutdown. Those impacts ranged from cutting back service to delaying hiring to transferring capital funds to operations. WMATA estimated that the shutdown cost it an average of $400,000 per weekday.
"We appreciate your commitment to public transportation and your partnership with APTA. We recognize the heroic effort that it will take to complete these actions in the coming weeks and look forward to continuing to work together to strengthen communities, spur economic growth, reduce congestion, improve air quality, save time and money, and advance a better quality of life across our nation," the letter said.
The same day that the letter was sent, FTA posted a message on its social media channels that read, "We’re happy to be back at work supporting transit systems across America and grateful to our colleagues who worked through the shutdown. FTA is processing grant payments requested through its financial system that were submitted during the lapse in appropriations. Grantees can expect to receive payments within the next few days."
