APTA supports bill that would increase gas tax

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has endorsed a bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) that would phase in a 15-cent per gallon increase in gas taxes dedicated to public transit and highway programs.

Introduced last week, the bill — known by the acronym UPDATE — also would index gas taxes to inflation and examine ways to replace those taxes with a more stable source of funding by 2024, APTA officials said in a press release.

The association has long supported an increase in dedicated revenue for the Highway Trust Fund.

"It is imperative that Congress address the impending shortfall for federal transit and highway programs in fiscal-year 2015," said APTA President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Melaniphy. "Our federal government must increase transportation investment to address our aging infrastructure and provide the transportation options that are necessary for our country to prosper and remain economically competitive."