WASHINGTON (December 15, 2020) – “The American Public Transportation Association (APTA), on behalf of the public transportation industry, congratulates Mayor Pete Buttigieg on his nomination as the Secretary of Transportation.
President-elect Biden has selected an outstanding nominee as Mayor Buttigieg brings a wealth of knowledge to DOT and will be a strong leader for the Department. As Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, he worked closely with the South Bend Public Transportation Corporation during his two terms and understands the power of public transportation in meeting the social and economic needs of communities. His tenure as Mayor saw an emphasis on a complete streets approach and green transportation initiatives and, as a 2020 Presidential candidate, Buttigieg outlined an infrastructure plan centered on a ‘Vision Zero’ policy and the need to address the immense public transit state-of-good-repair backlog facing the nation.
The public transit industry has faced tremendous challenges in 2020 but has continued to serve millions of essential workers and their communities despite devastating financial hardships. In the coming year, we will need to tackle a multitude of issues, and we look forward to partnering with Congress, the Biden Administration, and Secretary Buttigieg to provide emergency funding to keep our systems running and to move forward with a long-term surface transportation reauthorization.”
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The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is a nonprofit international association of 1,500 public and private sector organizations which represent a $74 billion industry that directly employs 435,000 people and supports millions of private sector jobs. APTA members are engaged in the areas of bus, paratransit, light rail, commuter rail, subways, waterborne services, and intercity and high-speed passenger rail. This includes: transit systems; planning, design, construction, and finance firms; product and service providers; academic institutions; transit associations and state departments of transportation. APTA is the only association in North America that represents all modes of public transportation. APTA members serve the public interest by providing safe, efficient and economical transit services and products.
