More than two-thirds of Americans support more federal dollars for public transportation, APTA says

The number of Americans that support increasing federal investment in public transportation grew to 68 percent, a nearly two-point increase over last year, according to a survey conducted by the Mineta Transportation Institute on behalf of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

The survey also found that about 74 percent of Americans support the use of tax dollars for creating, expanding or improving public transportation options in their communities, APTA officials said in a press release.

In addition, 76 percent of those surveyed agreed with the statement that public transportation investment can help create jobs and pave the way to a stronger economy. When asked about the affordable transportation options for people, nearly 88 percent of respondents agreed that public transit expands opportunities and provides access to new jobs and careers as well as to medical care, schools and colleges.

APTA officials said Congress should note the public's support for transportation investment and "move swiftly on a robust long-term funding plan" for the next surface transportation bill, and not wait until the current legislation expires on May 31, 2015.

"Research data shows support for increased revenues for public transportation. This support continues to increase because Americans realize that everyone benefits from public transit investments through the economic growth in their community, even if they do not ride it," said APTA President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Melaniphy.

To conduct the survey, the institute conducted 1,503 telephone interviews with people across the nation. The margin of error is minus 2.53 percentage points, at the 95 percent confidence level, according to APTA.