Statement by the League of Women Voters of Connecticut to the Transportation Committee in support of HB 5067 AA Committing Bus and Rail Fare Increases to Bus and Rail Upgrades


by Jara Burnett, LWVCT Transportation Specialist

Members of the League of Women Voters of Connecticut support this bi-partisan bill  calling for the Administration and the General Assembly to earmark the revenues collected from the rail and bus fare increases for mass transit expenditures rather than letting these revenues be placed in the General Fund.

Public transit is an enabler of economic activity. Getting people to work at a reasonable cost is critical to keep our economy working and growing and making Connecticut competitive and modern. Connecticut must maintain dedicated funding sources for mass transit, highway congestion relief and highway maintenance. To achieve this goal, the State should review all long-term and short-term funding options including congestion pricing and mileage-based pricing and commit to keeping these funds segregated from the general revenues.

Support of HB 5067 would ensure that the newly-imposed bus and rail increases will not be placed in the General Fund but be used to improve necessary public transit.

Thank you for this opportunity to provide input.

Via Email
Members of the League of Women Voters of Connecticut recognized the critical importance of transportation for Connecticut by designating transportation as a legislative priority. Transportation is critical to keeping our economy viable, our workers working and making Connecticut competitive and modern. Improved transit is critical to the long-term health of the state. Public transportation gets people to work and school, reduces air pollution and eases highway gridlock. 

In these difficult economic times, transit is needed more than ever.

Bus transit is the backbone of public transit in Connecticut. Commuter bus service continues to impact most immediately the congestion on our highways and provide mobility for our most-economically challenged citizens. While we understand the financial limitations and the difficulties in crafting budgets, investment in transit generates short and long-term jobs needed to get our state's economy started again

The proposed new bus fares will affect local bus systems serving the areas of Hartford, New Haven, Stamford, Waterbury, New Britain, Meriden, Bristol and Wallingford. ADA paratransit fares for these same areas would also be increased by approximately 10 percent, as would fares on express commuter bus services to the Hartford area and for the I-BUS Stamford to White Plains express. Combined, these bus systems serve over 29 million passengers per year.  

The proposed bus and rail fares and proposed service reductions are simply too deep and will adversely affect a segment of the state’s population that is already feeling the economic pinch most acutely. We urge you to rescind or minimize these rate increases and service reductions.

Thank you for this opportunity to provide input.

Sincerely,

Jara N. Burnett
Transportation Specialist, LWVCT 
203 288-7996