Transit advocates are pushing anew for an extension of federal transit benefits now that the congressional supercommittee convened to reduce the deficit has called it quits.
But they are running out of time — the benefits that give commuters up to $230 per month to take transit are slated to drop to $125 on Jan. 1, even as parking perks are slated to rise to $240.
The benefits are a lifeline for transit agencies around the country, but perhaps none more so than Metro, which estimates that 270,000 riders receive “SmartBenefits.” Metro officials have estimated that a drop in the benefit would cost the agency 2.8 percent of its already faltering ridership.
Metro and its largest union are lobbying for the extension of the benefits, with Metro reaching out to riders and congressional officials. Advocates and transit officials from agencies around the country are also pushing for the extension.
“All attention was on the supercommittee,” said Brian Tynan, director of government relations for the American Public Transportation Association, which is helping coordinate the push.
Now that the bipartisan committee has ended, the normal political channels can resume, he said. Advocates are pushing two tracks: extend the existing benefits so they don’t roll back on Jan. 1 or pass new legislation making the parking and transit benefits equal in the future.
“Our position is federal tax law shouldn’t have a bias in favor of one form of commuting over another,” Tynan said. “We seek to maintain parity and ensure there isn’t a disincentive to taking transit.”
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The benefits are given to workers as a perk or as a pre-tax deduction from their paychecks, or a combination of the two.
Most federal workers in the region get the full transit amount as a direct benefit, with the thinking being that it is cheaper for the federal government to provide the cost of transit rides than to build enough parking garages and roads to accommodate them all driving to their jobs each day. At Metro, 170,000 federal workers use SmartBenefits, according to the agency, creating a large pool of riders who aren’t as sensitive to fare increases.
The transit perk initially was raised to match the parking benefit in 2009 as part of the federal stimulus package. Last year, Congress extended it at the last minute through this year.
Now, though, it is slated to drop back down, even as the parking benefit is slated to rise from $230 to $240 starting Jan. 1. Advocates fear that if a commuter is faced with getting $240 per month to park or $125 to use transit, they would follow their pocketbook, Tynan said. That would hurt transit agencies but also clog roads.
