APTA: 2013 a 'banner year' for voter support of public transit

As the year's election season comes to a close, 2013 will register as another "banner year" for the passage of public transportation ballot initiatives, according to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) .

Six of the seven initiatives that were on Nov. 5th ballots passed, while the seventh was narrowly defeated, APTA officials said yesterday in a press release.

"Year in and year out, voters support public transit because they see the impact these systems have on their communities," said APTA President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Melaniphy.

On Nov. 5, voters approved initiatives calling for tax increases to support public transportation in Schoolcraft County, Mich.; Missoula, Mont.; Lake County, Ohio; Grays Harbor County, Wash.; Okanogan County, Wash.; and Maine, which passed a statewide referendum calling for a $100 million multimodal transportation bond package.

Including this week's results, 2013 resulted in a 69.2 percent passage rate on public transit ballot initiatives, with nine out of 13 initiatives passing, according to APTA.