State lawmakers have increased spending for upstate public transit systems in their respective one-house budgets. Now they’re hoping Gov. Kathy Hochul will support including it in the final budget, which is due next Friday.
Legislators and public transport advocates stated their case for more money for upstate systems, arguing it should be at the same rate of increase as that for downstate public transit authorities.
Doug Funke, with Buffalo-based Citizens for Regional Transport, says a recent report by Partnership for Public Good finds commuting by public transport may take up to twice as long as travel by car, and many jobs are not easily accessed by public transit routes.
He said nearly half the NFTA’s ridership cannot afford their own car.
“The goal must be to make transit as a convenient and attractive alternative to driving. In Buffalo for example, we are calling for the expansion of Buffalo's light rail, along with more frequent bus service,” Funke said. “Other urban New York State cities may be better served with fast high capacity bus rapid transit or trolley networks.”
Hochul, in her budget proposal, raises public transit spending by 36% in downstate systems while raising it only 13% among upstate systems, including the NFTA. The Senate and Assembly, in their one-house budgets, have raised upstate spending to match that 36% increase.
State Assemblymember William Magnarelli, who chairs the Assembly’s Transportation Committee, says if the state is serious about meeting its climate protection goals, it needs to ramp up its public transit spending.
“New York will never meet its climate goals without a robust and reliable public transit system. Unfortunately, investment in upstate transit has lagged behind the downstate systems,” Magnarelli said. “I want everyone to know I'm a big advocate for the downstate systems as well. What we need is a good mass transit system across the state. The Assembly's one-house budget resolution seeks to fix this with an unprecedented investment in our upstate transit systems.”
