A coalition of transit riders, environmental activists and students called for bigger and more equitable state investments in Connecticut’s bus and rail services on Tuesday at events held in both Hartford and New Haven.
As part of a national “Transit Equity Day,” held every year on the birthday of civil rights leader Rosa Parks, the appeal from advocates pointed out how the availability of mass transit has a disproportionate impact on the lives of people living in cities and on fixed incomes.
“We are a small state, but we have a lot of talent, and a lot of the talent that we have needs to be able to access jobs and opportunities that are spread across this beautiful, great state that we live in,” Chance Carter, the vice chairman of the Connecticut Public Transportation Council, said in Hartford.
“People can’t do that with cars, especially as we look at the rising cost of cars, we look at the rising cost of insurance, we look at the rising cost of living,” he added.
The dual events also came one day before Gov. Ned Lamont was scheduled to present his budget priorities to state lawmakers. While the state currently enjoys large surpluses, uncertainty over federal funding and statutory “fiscal guardrails” — which limit how much of the excess can be spent — means money for new programs is expected to be tight.
Two years ago, Lamont pushed through cuts to rail service along the New Haven Line and Shore Line East in order to achieve savings as ridership was slow to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. (Other rail services that saw a better-than-average return of riders, including the Hartford Line, were not targeted for cuts).
While full rail service was eventually restored as part of last year’s budget adjustments, lawmakers did so using one-time federal funding available to the state through the American Rescue Plan Act.
Advocates said Tuesday funding for transit remains in a precarious position due to the expiration of those federal funds and the fiscal guardrails.
“Enough, take the fiscal guardrails off and put it where it’s needed,” said Aziz Dehkan, the executive director of the Connecticut Roundtable on Climate and Jobs. “It’s needed in communities throughout this state — urban communities, rural communities — everybody needs help, however it comes, on transportation.”
Lamont’s office has yet to release specific details on its forthcoming budget proposal, but spokesman said the governor’s speech on Wednesday will mention “significant investments in transportation.”
One specific program highlighted at Tuesday’s press conference was a pilot program that offers students in New Haven and Hartford free CT Transit passes to get to and from school.
In 2023, the Department of Transportation ended a pandemic-era program offering free bus fares, a decision that Lamont blamed on federal rules requiring an equity study. In response, lawmakers last year launched the pilot program for students using $350,000 in ARPA funding that is due to expire in June, according to Jay Stange of the CT Tickets to Opportunity Campaign.
Stange and other advocates say they want the legislature to expand the pilot to cover the whole state, at an estimated cost of $2 million to $3 million.
Nayeli Figueroa, a 16-year-old junior at University High School of Science and Engineering, who is one of 500 students in Hartford participating in the pilot, said she no longer has to look around for loose change to pay bus fares. And she said the transit pass made it possible to commute to her after-school job.
“It’s not just about convenience, it’s about opportunity, inclusion and the ability to experience a more vibrant, rewarding life,” Figueroa said.