APTA Chair Addresses TTA Conference

APTA Chair Michele Wong Krause offered welcoming remarks March 18 at the Texas Transit Association’s (TTA) 2024 Annual Conference, Expo, and Roadeo in San Antonio. TTA Executive Director Allen Hunter opened the event, which was hosted by VIA Metropolitan Transit Authority.

Wong Krause noted that APTA and TTA share many of the same goals, particularly in working with local, state, and federal leaders to advocate for needed resources. She noted that both associations also represent the varied interests of metropolitan, small urban, and rural transit systems, as well as private and public organizations from across the U.S.

She spoke about how public transit is the driving force behind the national economy as a creator of opportunities and jobs. Thanks to investments being made by TTA members, she noted, Texans are “seeing the wide-ranging benefits of public transportation … that help make Texas the great state it is.”

Wong Krause said that, after a great deal of aggressive advocacy work in Washington, Congress passed the transportation appropriations bill earlier this month. “This means almost $21 billion in federal funding for public transit and $16.3 billion for passenger and freight rail this fiscal year—levels that are close to what the industry received last year.” Looking ahead to next year, Wong Krause applauded the White House’s proposed FY25 budget, which includes even higher levels of funding for both transit and rail programs.