How Much Operating Aid is Your Local Transit Agency Getting?
President Obama has signed into law a $106 billion war funding bill that includes a provision allowing local transit agencies to spend 10 percent of their stimulus money on operating costs.
That sounds good … but how much money are we actually talking about? According to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA):
- St. Louis’ Metro system can spend up to $4.6 million in stimulus cash on operating. When added to the $7.5 million in FTA aid approved on Wednesday, that fills about one-quarter of the transit agency’s $50 million shortfall.
- San
Francisco can spend up to $17.4 million in stimulus cash on operating.
Total size of the local BART’s deficit for next year: $23 million, even after fare hikes take effect. - The
New York-New Jersey-Connecticut area can spend up to $118.2 million in
stimulus cash on transit operating. Total size of the deficit for next
year at New York’s MTA alone: $1 billion. - Los
Angeles can spend up to $38.8 million in stimulus cash on transit
operating. Total size of the system’s deficit for next year: $200 million, as my colleague Damien Newton has reported.
If your home city isn’t one listed above, check out the apportionment tables available for download here.
Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.
