The Emergency Funding Ideas That Could Help Keep Transit Alive
As U.S. agencies push Congress for aid, transit advocates are exploring other ways to scrape together funds, from online delivery fees to gas tax hikes.
New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority faces a $16.2 billion deficit by 2024, forcing the agency to plan for drastic service and job cuts.
Photographer: Gabriela Bhaskar/BloombergAs transit operators in major U.S. cities plan drastic service cuts to address pandemic budget holes, leaders and advocates are advancing ideas to scrape together new funds, whether or not fresh federal aid arrives.
One proposal to support the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which faces a $16.2 billion deficit by 2024, is a bill by state assemblyman Robert Carroll to charge a flat $3 fee for every online purchase delivered in New York City, starting Jan. 1. In an op-ed for the New York Daily News, Carroll estimates that his bill would raise more than $1 billion annually for the MTA from the 1.8 million packages delivered in the city every day.