Transit.

Public transit is essential to everyday living in communities across the country, providing access to jobs, schools, shopping, healthcare, and other services, while enabling equitable access and sustainable mobility options. Unfortunately, 45% of Americans have no access to transit. Meanwhile, much of the existing system is aging, and transit agencies often lack sufficient funds to keep their existing systems in good working order. Over a 10-year period across the country, 19% of transit vehicles, and 6% of fixed guideway elements like tracks and tunnels were rated in "poor" condition. Currently, there is a $176 billion transit backlog, a deficit that is expected to grow to more than $250 billion through 2029. Meanwhile, transit ridership is declining, a trend compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Failure to address the transit revenue shortfall will only exacerbate ridership declines as service cuts mean that trip delays and reliability issues become more frequent. This stands to increase congestion, hamper the economy, and worsen air quality in the coming years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]