For Immediate Release
[DATE]
Contact:
[NAME]
[PHONE]
[EMAIL]
STUDENTS IN [CITY] HEAD BACK TO SCHOOL ON PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
[ORGANIZATION], in conjunction with the American Public Transportation Association offers
safety tips, calls on Congress to address funding gaps in aging public transportation
infrastructure
September is a busy time for [CITY’s] public transportation system as students head back to
school on trains, buses and other forms of public transportation. As back-to-school season kicks
off, [ORGANIZATION] is providing parents and students safety tips while calling upon
Congress to address pressing funding gaps that threaten the ability of students to access
affordable, reliable public transportation.
“Students across America, from small towns to big cities like [CITY] depend on safe and reliable
public transportation to go to and from school and get a quality education,” said [NAME],
[TITLE] of [ORGANIZATION]. “As we welcome students to the 2015-16 school year, it is
imperative that students not only practice safe habits while taking public transportation, but it is
equally as important that our aging public transportation infrastructure is capable and reliable
enough to take our children to school.”
Whether students take public transportation or a school bus, [ORGANIZATION] urges parents
and students to remember:
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Wait at a designated bus stop, and stand well back from the curb.
Other vehicles do not have to stop when city buses pick up and drop off school children.
Public buses move away from the bus stop as soon as passengers have gotten on or off.
Wait for the bus to pull away so you have a clear view of the street. Make sure you look
carefully to the left, right and left again before you cross the street.
Cross at the cross walk or street corner, and wait for the WALK crossing signal.
Never play on the subway platform.
Funding for public transportation services relied on by millions of students is only guaranteed
through October 2015 based on a recent short-term extension of the federal program for surface
transportation funding (MAP-21). More than $160 billion in annual investments are needed over
six years to address investment needs for the nation’s public transportation infrastructure.
“[ORGANIZATION] welcomes [NUMBER OF STUDENTS] students to the new school year
with [NUMBER OF BUSES] buses,” said [NAME] of [ORGANIZATION]. “Public
transportation is the most convenient or only method for many students, especially for those
students in our colleges and universities. Providing safe and reliable transportation so that
students can focus on their goals is paramount, and we continue to press lawmakers to provide us
with the funding to continue to do our job effectively.”
“[ORGANIZATION], in conjunction with the American Public Transportation Association,
continues to call upon Congress and the Administration to invest in a long-term, sustainable
funding package that enables our transportation infrastructure to meet growing demand and
allow for safe travel,” said [NAME]. “We owe at least this much to the students that will rely on
public transportation this year.”
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