Letter: Ohioans spoke, the legislature listened

Supporters of public transportation spoke, and the Ohio legislature listened. A new transportation budget investing $8.3 billion over the next two years was approved with bipartisan support in both the Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio Senate. The bill allocates $70 million in public transit funding.

Governor Mike DeWine’s budget as introduced in early February slashed funding for public transit by nearly 90%. Through extraordinary advocacy efforts of public transit agencies, their partners and other stakeholders, funding was ultimately increased by the legislature. On March 31, DeWine signed the transportation budget without exercising his line-item veto authority. Absent proper funding, the future of public transportation in Ohio would be an uncertain one. We, the CEOs of METRO, PARTA and SARTA, joined others in testifying to the Ohio House of Representatives Finance Committee and the Ohio Senate Transportation Committee in support of increased funding on behalf of statewide transit systems and the individuals they serve.