U.S. Reps. Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.), Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.), and Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) today announced the introduction of the Small Community Transit Improvement Act of 2021 to increase the amount of funding provided to transit systems in small communities. H.R. 2306 would increase the apportionment for the Small Transit Intensive Cities Program (STIC) from 2% to 3% to urban areas with populations of less than 200,000 to keep up with the growth and success of the program. You can find the text of the legislation here.
“We’re taking steps to improve access to great public transportation options in communities of all sizes,” said Stanton, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. "By increasing the funding available to support small transit systems in Arizona communities such as Flagstaff, we can help them serve more riders and bounce back strong after this pandemic.”
“The Small Transit Intensive Cities Program (STIC), which rewards high performing small transit systems, has been incredibly successful over the years at supporting transit in communities in central Illinois and across the country,” said Davis, who serves as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit. “I have four prime examples of cities in my district that have benefited from this program, including Bloomington-Normal, Champaign-Urbana, Springfield, and Decatur. Our bipartisan bill ensures funding for this program is keeping up with demand so we can continue to help successful, small transit systems like these make investments to improve efficiency and service.”
“I am proud to once again support the Small Community Transit Improvement Act. This legislation will continue boosting business and increasing ridership for local public transit agencies,” said Palazzo. “The STIC program has proven to be very successful and expanding the apportionment it provides will allow our small-urban transit providers to increase their efficiency.”
Background
Authorized in SAFETEA-LU, STIC rewards high transit performance by providing funds to small-urban transit providers, those that serve populations between 50,000 and 200,000, based on meeting at least one of six measurable performance criteria established annually by the average service levels of larger public transit agencies.
Simply put, a small-urban transit agency, whenever it exceeds the average service level of a large transit agency, is rewarded with additional federal transit investment.
In the FAST Act, Congress recognized the need to address this and the Act increased the STIC set-aside from 1.5 percent to 2 percent. While this is critical to the program’s continued success, an increase to 3 percent will provide much-needed boost for these successful transit providers. Increasing STIC funds apportioned to these small transit agencies will further incentivize efficiency and efficacy, and allow for better service.
This modest change, that requires no new funding, would significantly improve public transit service for scores of small-urban communities across the country.