Maryland’s transportation industry is on the brink of total economic collapse. How did we get here?
gas tax
Did you know that many state governments heavily depend on the “gas tax” to fund their transportation agencies? Well, as fuel-efficient & electric vehicles become more & more common, gas sales will continue to decline. Less gas sales = less gas tax revenue.
rising costs
In the last few years, highway & heavy construction costs have risen by approximately 50%, and our need to invest in Maryland’s outdated road, bridge, and transit infrastructure only continues to compound.
declining ridership
The COVID-19 pandemic sharply reduced transit ridership & farebox revenues. While highway travel has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, transit ridership has not, and supplemental federal funding has ceased. Experts say we can no longer predict if ridership will ever return to “normal.”