How Public Transit Became Political

Writing in Governing, Jared Brey examines the partisan divide over public transit. “It’s not a perfect partisan divide — transit investments have Republican supporters and Democratic detractors — but it’s been a feature of transportation planning going back decades.”

As Brey explains, “The reason for it has as much to do with geography as politics,” with support for transit largely splitting along rural-urban lines. “Republicans may also be less receptive to environmental arguments in favor of public transit than Democrats. But the ideological lines are messy: Advocates often point out that transit service gives people more choices for how to get around, while roads designed for private vehicles require huge public investments, too.”

Meanwhile, rural voters are unlikely to support state-level investments in public transit that primarily serves rural areas. “But it isn’t just a disinterest in big-city issues that makes transit a tough sell for rural legislators.” Rural communities have a harder time raising the matching funds needed for many state and federal grants, and rural transit — which can be a lifeline for many residents — is rarely cost-effective.