SJSU Student on Sustainable Transportation Advocacy
Not many people give up their free time to advocate for social causes, yet alone educate themselves to make an impact on what is happening around them. San Jose State University college student Monica Mallon, is part of Turnout 4 Transits, an advocacy group trying to save transit in Santa Clara County. The young 23 year old shared how Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) proposed cutting bus routes in her neighborhood back in 2017. She wanted to speak up against it and has been learning about the policies and politics around sustainable transportation.
Monica has immersed herself in how public transportation functions. She monitors what VTA is proposing to do, continues to learn more about the financial aspect of it, and discovers ways to preserve transit service. Understanding how budgets and funding work are crucial as a transit advocate. With budget analysis and finding where funding is flexible, resources can be shifted for existing routes by adjusting service hours instead of eliminating certain routes. Routes are cut due to VTA losing money since transportation agencies are funded by sales tax. The issue is the corporate business community opposes business taxes such as payroll or corporate tax. Additionally, it takes about one million dollars to pay for a campaign to pass a ballot for transit. Thus, there is unequal access to raising funds because people are not part of the process. Instead, large profitable businesses have the power to change how public transportation is run.
Photo credit: Turnout 4 Transits
Transit advocates like Monica, look for ways to have businesses work in the favor of everyday bus riders such as students, the eldery, and people of low income. One option is to have a partnership with a company. Companies can partially subsidize public buses and have the route be conveniently accessible for its employees. For instance, when VTA cut routes from South San Jose and East San Jose to Stanford, Stanford began paying VTA to run the route so their workers had transportation options. If more employers had sustainability programs by contracting VTA, giving employees free transit passes, and partnering with transportation agencies to subsidize routes, it would be a win-win situation for businesses, employees, public riders, and VTA. With transit agencies having stocks and stations, another option for transit to make money is to sell rights of a bus station to be named after a company.
Monica suggests people to talk about transit and what it means to their community, “talk to elective officials, political leaders, and political influencers”. Get engaged and involved by looking up local transit agencies and talk to board members to see what options are. Public transit is beneficial to everyone from the riders taking the bus to commuters who will experience less traffic. It’s more than a ride from point A to point B; it’s a lifeline that gives access for opportunities in education and careers.