Metro News

Advocates for investments in public transportation infrastructure
Metro CEO and General Manager Darryl Haley delivered the following statement to the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs at a hearing entitled “21st Century Communities: Public Transportation Infrastructure Investment and FAST Act Reauthorization.”

Haley’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, follow:

Chairman Brown, Ranking Member Toomey, and members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today on public transportation infrastructure investment and the FAST Act reauthorization.

My name is Darryl Haley, and I am the CEO & General Manager of the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority. We are the public transit agency serving Hamilton County, including Greater Cincinnati, as well as commuter service from Butler, Clermont and Warren counties. 

I would like to share with the Committee some of the issues that are critical to our agency and the broader industry as you consider policies related to surface transportation reauthorization.

SORTA operates 46 major fixed Metro bus routes and a demand-response paratransit service, making approximately 14 million passenger trips annually.  We are excited about the future of transit in our region due to the historic support we recently received from the citizens of Hamilton County. Last May—in the midst of a global pandemic—they voiced their significant support for public transit by approving a sales tax levy of 0.8 percent to fund Metro and transit-related infrastructure improvements.

SORTA is now bringing to life its Reinventing Metro plan, which will offer the Greater Cincinnati region bold new transit innovations that will help grow the regional economy and better connect our community to jobs, education, and health care. Reinventing Metro will deliver enhanced amenities for our riders—such as new buses and free on-board Wi-Fi—as well as significant service improvements. This means more frequent service, 24-hour service on some of our major routes, two new Bus Rapid Transit corridors, more suburban job connectivity with mobile demand-response service, and more.

In the next five years, the plan will deliver job access improvements that will drive economic growth across all of Hamilton County by making: 

– 20,000 more jobs accessible by Metro,

– 740 more employers accessible by Metro, and

– $850 million in total wages accessible by Metro.

 
Of course, in the midst of all this excitement about the future of public transit in our region, COVID-19 has devastated many of our communities. I would like to thank each of you for your leadership in supporting transit during this pandemic. The COVID-19 relief packages have been critical to ensuring our ability to keep our doors open and maintain staffing levels throughout the pandemic and avoid any layoffs. Because our employees have remained on the front lines, other members of the community have the ability to get to work, to school, to the doctor, the grocery store and other essential activities.  

Thanks to funding provided by the CARES Act, SORTA has been able to provide PPE for our employees, as well as our passengers, and install plexiglass barriers on each of our vehicles.

This year has not been easy, but I am proud to say that SORTA has worked hard each and every day to serve our community and continue looking toward the future. Prior to COVID-19, we increased our ridership 4.3% in the first quarter. Today, ridership is down about 50% due to COVID-19 and we have incurred related cost increases that forced a delay to the rollout of our Reinventing Metro plan from 2020 to 2021.

Given the current circumstances, and as you consider reauthorization of the FAST Act, there are a few policy recommendations I would like to make:

First, I was pleased to see President Biden’s extraordinary commitment to public transit included in his transformational American Jobs Plan, and within his FY 2022 Budget request. His call for new funding to modernize existing public transportation and for transit expansion aligns with the work we are doing at SORTA. 

I believe this forward-thinking proposal, along with the top three policy recommendations presented by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), would provide the investments that are necessary to build the 21st century transportation system that our country desperately needs. 

They are premised on erasing infrastructure deficit, rebuilding and expanding our public transportation systems to best meet the needs of today’s commuting public and future demands, and enhancing our nation’s economic competitiveness.  APTA calls for a total federal investment of $178 billion over six years for public transit and passenger rail. If enacted, this investment will create or sustain more than two million jobs. 

The first priority is Highway Trust Fund solvency and long-term, increased investment. Specifically, we are calling for federal investment of $145 billion over six years to fund critical projects that will repair, maintain, and improve our public transit systems today and in the future. 

The second priority is reestablishing a 40-40-20 capital investment ratio among the CIG, State of Good Repair, and Buses and Bus Facilities program. Recent authorization acts have not maintained that ratio and, as a result, the Buses and Bus Facilities program has received less funding. 

Thirdly, a new Mobility Innovation and Technology Initiative to introduce cutting-edge technologies and integrate new service-delivery approaches and mobility options in the transit marketplace. Like transit agencies across the country, we are using technology to ensure greater reliability, expand services, and improve customer experiences. 

In addition, SORTA supports the call for significant funding increases for programs such as Buses and Bus Facilities competitive grants and Low or No Emission competitive grants, which can support zero-emission infrastructure. 

Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to answering any questions.

Download full written testimony here and watch a video recording of the hearing.