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Seventy-four percent of private-sector firms serving the public transit industry recorded flat or declining business during the past year because of uncertainty over federal funding, a still-slow economy, and a lack of state and local investment in transportation, according to a new study released by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).

The “Impacts of the Recession on Public Transportation Business” study is based on a survey of 800 APTA business members that had an average response rate of 16 percent.

Seventy-four percent of the respondents indicated uncertainty over the federal authorization of transportation funding as having a negative impact on revenue, and 67 percent said the weak U.S. economy is affecting revenue. Of those firms reporting a decline in business, the average decrease was 25 percent, the study shows.

In addition, 56 percent of APTA’s private-sector business members serving public transportation indicated they lost business from their public transportation clients, and 52 percent of firms indicated they expect to lay off workers or cut back on hiring as a result.

“This is further evidence that now is the time to invest in our public transit infrastructure to create jobs and boost our economy,” said APTA President William Millar in a prepared statement. “Cutting money to public transit systems simply means the loss of jobs, and most of which are in the private sector.”