New Bill to Invest in Public Transit Workforce Training
3/25/2026
New legislation has been introduced to support and expand FTA’s Transit Workforce Center. The National Transit Frontline Workforce Training Act, introduced by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL), joined by Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), makes the center a permanent entity, enabling Congress to provide consistent and reliable Federal funding to support its activities. The Transit Workforce Center prepares American workers for specialized, good-paying jobs in transit industry sectors facing employee shortages, such as maintenance and operations.
APTA supports the Transit Workforce Center Act. APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas said, “This legislation gives our industry the tools to recruit, train, and retain the next generation of professionals who will operate and maintain the public transit systems communities depend on. Investing in the transit workforce means investing in mobility and access for every rider, in every community.”
Transit Workforce Center activities include coordinating with FTA and public transportation authorities to develop and conduct training and educational programs for frontline local transportation employees who work for public transportation systems that receive Federal funding. It also establishes national standards for transit maintenance and operations skills and provides training to local transit operators in both rural and urban transit systems across the country.
The Act is supported byothergroups including the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA), Transport Workers Union (TWU), and the Transportation Trades Department of AFL-CIO (TTD).