Rep. Jake Auchincloss Calls For More Focus On On-Demand Transit
Congressman Jake Auchincloss and 14 other members of Congress are calling for the inclusion of on-demand transit and investments in more reliable, convenient, and sustainable public transportation as the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is implemented.
In a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Senior Advisor to the President and Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu, the members of Congress promote four key steps to expand and improve public transportation.
“By taking these four key steps, the Department can support transit innovations, including on-demand transit, that will better connect our constituents to jobs, goods, and services while advancing policy goals shared by Congress and the Administration,” says the letter. "We believe all of these points are consistent with the Department’s Innovation Principles and the Biden Administration's broader priorities. We look forward to working with you on these critical actions that will improve access to affordable transit for all.”
Here are the four key steps outlined in the letter:
Funding Projects
The members of Congress are urging Buttigieg to fund projects that will increase economic mobility, equity, accessibility, and sustainability. This includes ensuring that new services do not come at the expense of accessibility and labor protections.
Deploying Projects
The letter encourages the Administration to consider the speed with which new services and projects can be deployed, saying "We must increase access to opportunity with urgency." While longer-term projects are critical, the government needs to implement services that will immediately improve the ability of residents to access jobs, healthcare, and education.
Public-Private Collaboration
The members of Congress said the Transportation Department should encourage as much upfront private-public collaboration as possible to create more robust applications, simplify the evaluation of the impacts of proposed services, and speed deployment after funding is awarded.
Flexibility In Spending
The letter also says the Administration should be flexible in how federal funds can be used. It says that, apart from uses that are explicitly prohibited in the law, the Administration should take an outcomes-based approach rather than limit the ways in which applicants can use funds.
Source:
Annie Sandoli