Statement on Proposed MTA Cuts

Yesterday, the Maryland Department of Transportation and Maryland Transit Administration announced major cuts to the MTA system, including eliminating all Express Routes, cutting multiple LocalLink routes, and eliminating several commuter bus links - including the commuter bus service between Baltimore and Annapolis.

The pandemic we continue to face has had an enormous impact on transportation funding across the nation and on Maryland's Transportation Trust Fund. In Maryland, however, we saw transit ridership decline less than in all comparable transit agencies across the country. This lower drop was undoubtedly due to the large number of people who rely on MTA to get to their essential jobs each and every day. This included nurses, grocery store workers, child care workers, nursing care staff, and more. We rely on them - and they rely on MTA.

The federal CARES Act provided millions of dollars in financial aid to transit agencies, including MTA. It is not currently clear that the money provided by the federal government is being dedicated for its intended use - supporting public transit.

The Maryland Transit Caucus is deeply concerned about the proposed cuts. We urge Governor Hogan and Secretary Slater to reconsider their allocation of funding from the Transportation Trust Fund to the Department’s agencies. For the past five years, MDOT has disproportionately funded new highway projects while cutting MTA capital projects and operating dollars (until the General Assembly required otherwise). Even prior to the pandemic, MTA faced a capital deficit of $2 billion over the next 9 years just to maintain its assets in a state of good repair.

Cutting MTA funding is short-sighted and will have a disproportionate impact on people of color and people with disabilities in Central Maryland. Individuals who rely on this service do so often because they have no alternative. Every thriving urban region in the country has a reliable, well-connected transit system and to ensure that the greater Baltimore region has a prosperous and bright future ahead, we must make key investments now to preserve and expand transit. The Transit Caucus stands against these cuts to transit, recognizing the need for a well-funded, reliable, and efficient transit service to support essential workers and our economy.