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Public Transit Advocates Say There's Not Enough For Bus And Rail In Proposed Budget

COTA bus in Columbus
Central Ohio Transit Authority website
COTA bus in Columbus

Advocates for public transportation are lambasting the transportation budget that passed the House last week. They say too little is being spent on rail and buses. 

Amanda Woodrum with Policy Matters Ohio says the $8-billion-dollar transportation budget contains only $70 million dollars for public transit and that was only after House lawmakers restored it from Gov. Mike DeWine’s proposed budget.  

“But this still isn’t even where we were in the last budget and it certainly isn’t where we need to be," Woodrum says. 

Woodrum and other public transportation advocates say many working Ohioans depend on public transportation to meet basic needs and say the pandemic has made it more critical. The transportation budget must be passed by March 31st but last time around in 2019, it was a few days late. 

Contact Jo Ingles at jingles@statehousenews.org.
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