Transit's Need for Assured Federal Aid

Transit faces a serious financial crisis, and thus needs greater governmental aid, especially from the federal government. The inability of the automobile to fulfill all travel demands makes transit a necessity for the survival of large-city downtown areas. For the ideal of a balanced transportation system, transit should be considered as a complement to the automobile, not a competitor. The federal government recognized the need for assisting transit in capital improvement projects with the enactment in 1964 of the Urban Mass Transportation Assistance Act, but such aid thus far has been far from sufficient to meet the needs. States and local governments also are now providing aid to transit. Transit, however, still needs these two types of financial assistance, particularly by the federal government: (1) greater governmental funding on a guaranteed continuing basis for capital improvements; and (2) governmental aid for operating costs.