Metro Magazine, September/October 2015

transit operation has a bus capital replacement need of 294 million over the next four years double what the entire state of Alabama will receive in Section 5339 funds The State of Iowas rural and urban transit operators now have a collective bus capital replacement deficit of more than 125 million Each year Section 5339 provides the state with 33 million in dedicated bus capital investment Flint Mich s urban transit operation estimates that it spends between 35000 and 40000 monthly just to keep its aging bus fleet operational This highlights how aging rolling stock negatively impacts a transit agencys operational budget A small urban operator in California notes We have identified a state of good repair backlog of more than 200 million over the next 10 years we do not know where these resources will come from and we need Congress to understand the national bus capital crisis and develop funding programs to help small and mid size transit properties Its unconscionable says the Bus Coalitions Ed Redfern Were facing a real public transportation crisis Time and again since MAP 21 s passage in 2012 rural and urban transit managers have told me they receive a third or a quarter of a bus from the Section 5339 formula bus capital program They are also quick to note that they have never actually seen nor received the supposed additional Section 5307 5310 and or 5311 dollars to make up the difference in lost dedicated bus capital money Exacerbating the looming crisis is of all things the ARRA commonly called the Stimulus program Stimulus funds were widely used to buy vehicles in 2009 10 which in many ways delayed the bus capital crisis These funds required no local share and resulted in thousands of new buses across the nation in all sized communities Six years later and many of those buses are reaching the end of the life cycles simultaneously Once again CTAA and the Bus Coalition recognized that something needed to be done As Congress began deliberating MAP 21 s successor both organizations ramped up information and education campaigns designed to ensure that elected officials fully understood the impact of MAP 21 on the bus transit systems in their district More importantly these advocacy groups began to work with their respective members to develop palatable solutions that were more realistic than simply asking for significant additional transit investment This approach paid dividends At the end of July the U S Senate passed by a vote of 65 34 the DRIVE Act a six year reauthorization of MAP 21 Throughout the process of passing the bill CTAA and the Bus Coalition worked the dedicated bus capital issue going so far as to develop an amendment originally sponsored by Sens Moran R KS Donnelly D IN and Blunt R MO with an eventual eight additional co sponsors to increase dedicated bus capital The amendment along with hundreds of others was never taken up but the Senate heard the message DRIVE increases both the formula bus capital levels in Section 5339 including increasing each states set aside from 125 to 2 million and creates a competitive bus capital program at 180 million Neither CTAA nor the Bus Coalition feels these levels are anywhere commensurate with the built up bus capital replacement need across the nation particularly in light of the vast underfunding of the program for the past three years but both are gratified to see the funding levels rising Now its onto the House of Representatives where the Transportation Infrastructure Committee is poised to mark up its version of MAP 21 reauthorization in early September The current MAP 21 extension expires Oct 31 2015 so time is running short All public transit bus operators are urged to contact their House members and let them know how vital increased dedicated bus capital funding is and whats at stake Both CTAA and the Bus Coalition recommend the following two key talking points for these vital discussions The Senates DRIVE Act moves in the right direction but does not solve the dedicated bus capital crisis The Section 5339 Competitive program in DRIVE needs to both larger and grow throughout the six years of the reauthorization Buses are the nations public transportation workhorses They provide the majority of transit trips across the country every day in communities large and small says CTAAs Executive Director Dale J Marsico We need Congress to step up do the right thing and make sure there are sufficient dedicated revenues for bus capital replacement Scott Bogren is communications directorfor the Community TransportationAssociation of America 46 mETRO mAGAZINE SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 2015 metro magazine com BUS CAPITAL CRISIS Buses are the nations public transportation workhorses They provide the majority of transit trips across the country every day in communities large and small CTAAs Executive Director Dale J Marsico