Public Transit is Essential, We Need to Fund it Now

Transit is a lifeline for communities across this country. It connects people to people, businesses, and opportunities. It drives economic growth and is a powerful tool in the fight against climate change.

Buses, trains, walking paths, and bike lanes provide a clean, healthy, and affordable way to get around. Yet policymakers have put transit funding on the back burner for too long.

That needs to change. And that’s the spirit behind the recent Week Without Driving — a week early in the fall when you can get around however you want, but the challenge is not to drive. This applies to all your activities, not just your commute.

Having to drive during the challenge doesn’t signify failure. Sometimes, the best reflection comes when someone participating in the challenge has to drive. The point is to consider how someone without that option would have coped and what choices they might have made.

I live in Nashville, where we’re working to pass a ballot measure that would be a game-changer for residents and businesses. It would update traffic signals, add 86 miles of sidewalks, promote better safety, decentralize the bus network, add more frequent routes, and provide 24/7/365 service throughout the city. It would significantly improve almost all mobility choices.

These are challenges faced by cities all across the country. At a time when we should be doubling down on investments in public transit to spark economic recovery and tackle climate change, we’re seeing cuts instead.

Transit fuels economic growth. Nationwide, tens of millions of people — whether in small rural towns or big urban centers — rely on public transit every day, generating trillions in economic activity. For every dollar we invest in transit, we see a fivefold return. Every billion dollars invested in public transit creates 50,000 jobs.

Essential workers depend on it. Small businesses depend on it. Marginalized communities depend on it. Transit isn’t just a convenience — it’s a key piece of our economic recovery and a path toward a more equitable, sustainable future for everyone, whether you live in the city, the suburbs, or in a rural area.

Transit improves our quality of life while also combating the climate crisis, which isn’t some distant threat — it’s here now. We see it happening all around us, and it’s only getting worse. Investing in public transit is one of the most effective ways we can address climate change at the scale that’s required.

Transportation is the largest source of climate pollution in the U.S., and 80 percent of those emissions come from cars and trucks. It’s one of the few sectors where emissions are still rising. For too long, our leaders have prioritized highways and cars over transit, and we’re paying the price — not just in terms of pollution, but also in the strained budgets of local transit agencies.

An investment in public transit is a win-win. It would help grow our economy and get us closer to meeting our climate goals.

The truth is, no matter where you live, you shouldn’t need a car to participate in daily life — whether it’s getting to the grocery store, the pharmacy, or seeing family and friends. An upgraded transit system strengthens our neighborhoods and protects the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land we call home.

Transit is essential, and it’s time we start treating it that way. It’s time to fully fund it — for our communities, for our economy, and for our future.