Streetsblog Capital Hill: Carnahan and LaTourette Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Bolster Transit Service

Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO), working with Ohio Republican Steve LaTourette, has introduced a bill that would help put more buses on the streets. While federal funds are often restricted to capital projects, Carnahan's bill would allow transit agencies, during times of crisis, to use some of that money for operating expenses, like paying bus drivers.The bill would allow local agencies to expand service, or at least minimize cuts, at a time when more and more people are coming to depend on transit. And it would not increase federal expenditures in the process.

"Folks across the country rely on public transit to get to work and businesses rely on those services to get their employees to them," said Carnahan. "But we're forcing transit agencies to lay off workers even when funds are available."