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U.S. Senators Jerry Moran and Ruben Gallego have introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at strengthening the Federal Transit Administration’s Small Transit Intensive Cities program. Their proposal would raise the share of Section 5307 grant funding dedicated to STIC communities from 3% to %, helping improve public transit efficiency and capacity in cities with populations between 50,000 and 200,000. The change would not increase federal spending but redistribute existing funds to high-performing transit systems that show strong service levels.

The STIC program already provides extra support to small urban transit providers that meet at least one of six performance benchmarks compared with larger transit agencies. Lawrence, Topeka and Manhattan qualify under the program’s population guidelines. When a smaller transit system exceeds average service levels, it receives additional federal funding, which has helped these communities and others pursue projects that expand and improve public transportation across the country.