The Clock Is Ticking for U.S. Transit: State Action or Service Collapse - CleanTechnica

The article from CleanTechnica highlights a critical and urgent challenge facing U.S. public transit systems: many are on the brink of a "death spiral" characterized by budget shortfalls that force service cuts, fare increases, and deferred maintenance. These actions, in turn, drive riders away, worsening financial gaps and risking service collapse. Several major transit agencies—including Philadelphia’s SEPTA, Bay Area’s BART, Washington’s WMATA, San Francisco’s Muni, Chicago’s regional network, Boston’s MBTA, and New Jersey Transit—are already exhibiting early signs of this cycle. The article stresses that while the situation is not yet irreversible, rapid and decisive state-level funding interventions are essential because federal operating support is unlikely to resume soon, and emergency COVID-era relief funds have expired. The uneven recovery of U.S. transit ridership since 2020 exacerbates the problem. Unlike Europe and China, where policy measures and urban design have supported a near-full return to transit use, U.S.