From Buffalo to Albany, companies are choosing New York to establish and grow their businesses. Just look at the NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub and the semiconductor and manufacturing opportunities coming to communities outside New York City. But attracting business and job opportunities is only the first step. The next step is connecting workers directly to these jobs.
Elected officials have celebrated the investment in a new Micron manufacturing facility and the 50,000 new jobs in the Greater Syracuse region. Like many companies moving to New York, Micron’s jobs will be located in the outer suburbs, operating in the Town of Clay rather than Downtown Syracuse. Connecting Syracusians to these opportunities becomes an issue of equity, and requires us to be intentional about diverse employment access.
Transportation barriers are one of the biggest obstacles individuals face when seeking employment. These same barriers disproportionately affect minority communities, specifically those in our inner cities. According to the Consumer Federation of America, while 90% of white households own at least one motor vehicle, that number drops to 83% for Hispanic households and 73% for black households. Public transit is how we break through these barriers and combat poverty, which is especially needed in New York State. Nearly 30% of residents in Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse live below the poverty line, and over 20% in Albany. Continuing to invest in public transit is how we ensure all members of our communities have equal access to healthcare, education and workforce training opportunities, and employment.
As companies expand across New York, it’s the State’s responsibility to make sure all workers are given equal access to these opportunities with transportation options that are efficient and convenient. It’s my belief that direct transit lines to large employers are the most effective option we have to get workers to their jobs located in transit deserts.
We are already seeing the success these direct lines can make. In my senate district in Gates, NY, Amazon recently opened a new distribution facility with thousands of jobs for the Finger Lakes Region. Rochester’s public transit system, Regional Transit Service (RTS), worked with Amazon to establish a route from the City of Rochester to the facility in Gates, a decision that has been an immense success. Over 1,300 employees or approximately 52% of their workforce, now utilize that line 4-5 times a week. That helps workers access these good paying jobs and increases worker reliability and retention for the employer.
But these public transit connections come with a cost. Creating a new line for a public transit system requires driver resources and available vehicles. Even if there is a clear need, the transit system may not have the budget to cover operating expenses with existing resources.
That’s why in this year’s state budget, I’m calling for the inclusion of a new $5 million Workforce Transit Equity Fund to better connect workers to job opportunities and combat poverty across our state. This fund would allow non-MTA public transit authorities to apply to the state for funding, covering the costs of new stops at employers with at least 100 employees. These competitive grants would cover operational costs for a first-year pilot, after which the employer would be responsible for ongoing costs of the route.
Good paying jobs are coming to regions across the state, an economic boom that has the potential to break generational cycles of poverty and increase the quality of life for New Yorkers. We must ensure we are fully capitalizing on this employment opportunity and transportation access is the solution.
Jeremy Cooney represents the 56th District in the New York State Senate. He serves as Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee.
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