Transit Funding
February Must-Reads: Top 10 Articles From Last Month
Transit agencies like BART and TriMet face lingering budget shortfalls, forcing major service cuts and layoffs, while federal plans to ban fare-free transit throw a wrench in NYC Mayor Mamdani’s proposal to make the city’s buses ‘fast and free.’
FTA Offers $100 Million in Transit Grants to World Cup Host Cities
Championship soccer games will be held in 11 U.S. cities this summer as part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
BART Announces Major Service Cuts, Fare Increases in Face of $376M Deficit
If a November ballot measure fails to bring new funding, BART’s ‘alternative service plan’ would reduce frequencies to 30 minutes, raise fares by 30%, and close up to 15 stations.
Why “Full Buses are a Car Commuter’s Dream”
Even a 5-10% drop in cars on the road can dramatically ease congestion, making healthy transit systems a win-win for transit users and drivers alike.
San Diego Regional Transportation Plan Shifts Away From Big Projects to Focus on Improving Existing Infrastructure
SANDAG’s 2025 Regional Plan scales down plans for new rail lines in favor of expanding rapid bus service.
Dallas Sacrifices DART Majority Control in Bid to Keep Suburbs in Transit System
The city would give up majority control of the regional transit system for the first time in its 40-year history.
BART Service Cuts, Station Closures Could ‘Set Back the System 50 Years’
The agency could close dozens of stations and eliminate the Blue line between Daly City and Dublin-Pleasanton entirely.
Trump DOT Wants to Ban Free Buses
The department wants to prevent cities that receive funds from the Federal Transit Administration from offering free transit fares.
Portland Transit is About to Get a Lot Worse
TriMet is making multiple rounds of service cuts this year as the agency faces a $300 million budget shortfall.
Report: USA Must Triple its Transit Vehicles to Offer ‘World-class’ Transit
To achieve the level of transit access that most global cities enjoy, the United States would need trillions more in funding… and a LOT of buses.
Brightline’s Bond Rating Lowered to ‘Junk’ Status as Debt Mounts Despite High Ridership
The high-speed rail operator faces a $1.2 billion debt load and has never turned a profit since it launched in 2017.
New Jersey has a Plan to buy Transit with LAND. Will it Actually Work?
I have questions.
Trimet Slashes Bus Service in First of Three Rounds of Cuts
Oregon’s largest transit agency plans to cut 10% of its services in the next year.
Is the Bus Still Running? Seriously… is the Bus Still Running??
Faced with increased operating costs and the end of pandemic-era federal support, many transit systems across the United States find themselves grappling with tough decisions.
Trump Administration Proposes to Divert Billions from Mass Transit to Highways; Advocates Sound Alarm
Two proposals from the Trump DOT would eliminate a federal mass transit fund and make it harder for states to allocate funding to transit projects.
80% of Public Transit Measures Passed in Last Week’s Elections
Around the country, voters said yes to supporting public transit.
Federal Judge Rules Trump Can’t Tie Transportation Funding to Immigration Policy
The judge said the administration did not offer “any plausible connection” between transportation projects and immigration enforcement.
Illinois Rescues Transit With $1.5 Billion Bill, Creates New Authority
The bill increases tollway charges and the sales tax in some counties but excludes prior proposals to tax entertainment and billionaires.
Illinois Legislators Propose new Taxes on Billionaires and Entertainment Venues to Fund Transit
The plan to shore up Chicago-area transit agencies would raise $1.5 billion for the state’s transit networks.
As Local Pols Call for Defunding, Milwaukee Streetcar Breaks Post-Pandemic Ridership Record
The free ‘The Hop’ streetcar has served over 3.2 million riders since it launched in late 2018.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
County of Mendocino
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
Montrose County
Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA)
The Pocatello Development Authority
