APTA applauds Senate confirmation of Anthony Foxx as U.S. Secretary of Transportation

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) released the following statement on June 28:

The American Public Transportation Association applauds the U. S. Senate confirmation of Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx as U.S. Secretary of Transportation. 

“On behalf of the 1,500 members of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) and the U.S. citizens who took 10.5 billion rides on public transit in 2012, I congratulate Anthony Foxx on his confirmation as the next U.S. Secretary of Transportation. Our industry is ready to work with him to advance public transportation nationwide so we can meet the growing demand,” said APTA Chair Flora Castillo. 

Noting that nearly 60 percent of public transit trips are taken for work commutes, Castillo said, “Anthony Foxx used public transportation to commute to his first job while in school and so he understood at an early age the importance of having public transit available in your community.  He knows firsthand that people depend on public transportation for access to jobs.”

“Incoming Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx understands how critical it is for a city to have a multimodal transportation network that includes a strong public transportation system,” said APTA President and CEO Michael Melaniphy. “He knows the connection between transportation, jobs, economic growth and economic competitiveness.” 

“APTA looks forward to working with incoming Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx to pass the next federal surface transportation bill, which will need a balanced transportation system approach in which public transportation plays a vital role,” said Melaniphy.

The association highlighted the economic impact of public transit investment by noting that every $1 billion invested in public transportation creates or maintains 36,000 jobs.  And added that every dollar communities invest in public transportation generates approximately $4 in economic returns.   

As the chair of the Metropolitan Transit Commission, Mayor Foxx successfully led efforts to advance regional transportation initiatives, including breaking ground on the streetcar project and a third runway at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, and securing $1 billion in funding to extend the LYNX Blue Line to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.