Mass Transit:
Historical Patterns and Future Outlook
T-RCED-91-15: Published: Mar 5, 1991. Publicly Released: Mar 5, 1991.
Additional Materials:
- Full Report:
Contact:
GAO discussed the Urban Mass Transportation Administration's (UMTA) 5-year reauthorization proposal, focusing on the sources and uses of funds, increased funding flexibility between mass transit and highway, and UMTA oversight of grantees. GAO noted that: (1) between fiscal year (FY) 1981 and FY 1991, federal transit funding declined from $4.6 billion to $3.2 billion; (2) various legislation limited the Highway Trust Fund which, at the end of FY 1991, was expected to have $4.1 billion available; (3) UMTA proposed spending $16.3 billion between FY 1982 and FY 1986 and drawing down the uncommitted balance in the mass transit account to less than $1 billion by 1996; (4) an industry association estimated that $6.5 billion in federal funds would be needed annually to maintain the existing mass transit infrastructure; (5) the UMTA reauthorization proposal would allow state and local governments flexibility in allocating federal funds between mass transit and highway projects, but several obstacles could limit the success of such multi-modal funding; (6) the proposal could continue the existing bias for highway construction over mass transit; (7) the proposal would shift a larger share of the financial burden to grant recipients by reducing the federal share for capital projects from 80 percent to 60 percent; (8) greater cost-sharing by states, localities, and grantees could promote leveraging of scarce federal funds, but caution should be exercised in making an immediate shift of financial responsibility to transit authorities; and (9) UMTA did not effectively oversee grantees' management and use of federal funds, which placed those funds at risk for waste and misuse.
Nov 20, 2018
Airline Consumer Protections:
Additional Actions Could Enhance DOT's Compliance and Education EffortsGAO-19-76: Published: Nov 20, 2018. Publicly Released: Nov 20, 2018.
Nov 8, 2018
-
Grade-Crossing Safety:
DOT Should Evaluate Whether Program Provides States Flexibility to Address Ongoing ChallengesGAO-19-80: Published: Nov 8, 2018. Publicly Released: Nov 8, 2018.
Oct 3, 2018
-
Positive Train Control:
Most Passenger Railroads Expect to Request an Extension and Substantial Work Remains Beyond 2018GAO-19-135T: Published: Oct 3, 2018. Publicly Released: Oct 3, 2018.
Sep 13, 2018
-
Positive Train Control:
Most Railroads Expect to Request an Extension, and Substantial Work Remains Beyond 2018GAO-18-692T: Published: Sep 13, 2018. Publicly Released: Sep 13, 2018.
Sep 5, 2018
-
Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway:
Assessing Risks and Measuring Performance Could Improve Maritime TransportationGAO-18-610: Published: Sep 5, 2018. Publicly Released: Sep 5, 2018.
Jul 30, 2018
-
Public Transit Partnerships:
Additional Information Needed to Clarify Data Reporting and Share Best PracticesGAO-18-539: Published: Jul 30, 2018. Publicly Released: Jul 30, 2018.
Jul 26, 2018
-
Aviation Security:
Basic Training Program for Transportation Security Officers Would Benefit from Performance Goals and MeasuresGAO-18-552: Published: Jul 26, 2018. Publicly Released: Jul 26, 2018.
Jul 19, 2018
-
Highway and Transit Projects:
Better Data Needed to Assess Changes in the Duration of Environmental ReviewsGAO-18-536: Published: Jul 19, 2018. Publicly Released: Jul 19, 2018.
Jul 12, 2018
-
Aviation Security:
Actions Needed to Better Identify and Track U.S.-Bound Public Charter Operations from CubaGAO-18-526: Published: Jul 12, 2018. Publicly Released: Jul 12, 2018.
May 31, 2018
-
Capital Investment Grants Program:
FTA Should Address Several Statutory ProvisionsGAO-18-462: Published: May 31, 2018. Publicly Released: May 31, 2018.
Looking for more? Browse all our products here
Explore our Key Issues on Transportation
Explore our other Key Issues here
