As we near the beginning of the 2024 Missouri Legislative session, we are gearing up to personalize the story of public transit across the state from riders to operators to employers who are all impacted by transit or lack of transit service in communities across Missouri to demonstrate the Why for Missouri transit investment. We have been successful over the last two years of moving the needle on public transit funding from $1.7 million in 2021 to $11.7 million in 2023, a 580 percent increase over a two-year period, however our job is not finished. As advocates and agencies, we must work to not only maintain this investment but expand it over the coming years to ensure transit continues to serve as many as possible in every county in this state.
We are asking for your help as the on the ground providers and stakeholders in communities across the state to help us identify new riders, operators and stakeholders who may be impacted by transit on a daily basis in as many legislative districts as possible.
We will be putting together an updated Faces of Public Transit in Missouri and using these stories to help build support in rural and urban areas for transit investment from the state including leave-behind pieces for legislators, videos and letters to the editor on transit stories. The goal will be to energize riders, residents and others to reach out to their legislators directly to tell their personal stories of transit.
Please share with us any riders, operators or employers who you think would be impactful in this campaign. We would need a quick ‘bio’ of their story, the area they are from, the transit service they use and a picture if possible. Please submit any possible candidates by November 8, 2023 using the form below.
Thank you again for helping to build the support necessary in Missouri to keep the needle moving in the right direction for transit.