Investments in public transportation would expand economic opportunity, advance racial equity and strengthen community connections across Alabama. That’s why Alabama Arise and 81 other organizations sent a letter Wednesday to Gov. Kay Ivey and legislators urging them to fund public transportation across our state. Arise and our partners asked Ivey and legislators to invest $20 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money in the state Public Transportation Trust Fund. Lawmakers created the trust fund in 2018, but it has yet to receive state funding. The consequences of that inaction have grown in recent years. “The COVID-19 pandemic only worsened the harm resulting from lack of state support for public transportation,” the letter says. “We know robust investments in public transit will provide strong benefits for people across Alabama. Greater access to work, school, child care and medical care are just a few examples of how public transit is critical not only for an individual’s quality of life but for the state’s economic development and prosperity.” |
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