Statement by William W. Millar, President of the American Public Transportation Association -- Department of Homeland Security Directives Require Funding

Contacts: Virginia Miller (202) 496-4816 vmiller@apta.com
or Donna Aggazio (202) 496-4884 daggazio@apta.com.

(Download document in Adobe PDF format)

"Safety and security is the top priority of the public transportation industry. Since September 11, 2001, the industry has spent $1.7 billion from its own resources to fund security initiatives, many of which are included in these directives.

Developing mandates such as these requires funds from the federal government. Simply put, public transportation systems cannot independently shoulder the responsibility to pay for these mandated security measures on their own.

In addition, other measures are needed to protect America's public transportation systems. In a recent industry survey, APTA identified $6 billion in transit security needs. We ask that the nation's millions of public transportation riders receive the same consideration as airline passengers. There is no funding (line item) in the Administration's FY05 budget for transit security, which there is $5.3 billion for aviation security. 16 times more Americans ride on public transportation each day than on domestic airlines.

The public transit industry looks forward to receiving a copy of these directives and working more closely with the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that practical and effective measures can be put in place to safeguard America's public transportation riders."

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APTA is a nonprofit international association of more than 1,500 member organizations including public transportation systems; planning, design, construction and finance firms; product and service providers; academic institutions, and state associations and departments of transportation. APTA members serve the public interest by providing safe, efficient and economical public transportation services and products. Over ninety percent of persons using public transportation in the United States and Canada are served by APTA members.