The Benefits of Partnership and Collaboration

Many of the benefits of public transportation are economic, both direct and indirect, with a real dollar value.

In recent years, government and private-sector groups have formed true partnerships to fund public transportation — partnerships in which investment decisions, such as transitoriented developments that create livable communities, are increasingly based on a clear sense of the benefits that can be realized.

Successful in getting new-start systems off the ground, as well as in funding expansions and upgrades, these investments have taken many forms, including:

• More direct public funding for transit and related improvements by federal, state and local agencies
• More public funding for other public services—education, health, human services—to support partnerships with public transportation agencies
• The leveraging of private funds to support public transit facilities, services and surrounding development
• The introduction of effective incentives for shifting public and private investment to transit