Who is impacted?

Communities in Stanislaus County with low incomes are affected the most when public transit prices go up. For many individuals and families who already struggle to make ends meet, public transportation is something they rely on every day for work, school, or medical services. When fares increase, they often have to choose between paying for a bus ride and covering other basic needs like food, rent, or healthcare. This makes it harder for them to get to work, school, or medical appointments, which increases the unfair gaps in health and financial stability that they already face. This petition is proposing making changes to or creating a new policy in regards to public transit affordibility through income specific subsidies or discounts on tickets, as well as service improvements on infrastructure to increase quality and reliability of public transport. 

What is at stake?

If public transit continues to increase without any help for the communities who cannot afford it, these low-income communities will continue to be denied access to important opportunities that help them build better lives. Expensive fares make it harder to break the cycle of poverty, unemployment, and poor health. When people can’t afford to get to the doctor, their health problems may get worse. Students may miss school, and workers could lose jobs because they can’t get there reliably. Keeping transit prices high only pushes these communities further behind socially, financially, and physically.

Why is now the time to act?

Now is the time to act because access to transportation is directly connected to people’s health, opportunities, and overall fairness in society. Families need affordable, dependable transportation as soon as possible to get to work, school, and medical appointments. By lowering transit fares or providing more support for low-income communities, we can quickly make a difference in people’s daily lives and their health. Taking action now will help keep transportation open and accessible, giving everyone a fair chance to have access to these essential necessities.