Abstract:
The purpose of this paper is to outline the federal government's role in transit-i.e., leverage. Federal involvement in transit dating back to the early 1900s is examined to show how earlier policies contributed to the problems faced by transit operators today. The paper suggests that the federal government change its role from grantor to investor and thus leverage its funding so that the net economic benefit to the nation is greater than the federal investment and greater than if there were no federal involvement at all.
Supplemental Notes:
This paper appeared in Transportation Research Board Special Report No. 195, Light Rail Transit: Planning, Design, and Implementation. Papers presented at the Conference on Light Rail Transit, March 28-30, 1982, San Diego, California, sponsored by Urban Mass Transportation Administration. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
