Transit Workforce Development Act Would Expand Training Access Under Federal Bus Grant Programs
Congressman John Garamendi (CA-08) and Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24) last week introduced the Transit Workforce Development Act, legislation that would restructure how federal bus grant funding can be deployed to address workforce shortages and training deficits confronting public transit agencies nationwide. The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, where Garamendi serves as a senior member.
The legislation targets existing grant mechanisms under 49 U.S.C. §5339, which governs federal bus and bus facility funding. Its central changes are practical and targeted: raising the workforce development set-aside under the Low or No Emission Bus Program from 5 percent to 10 percent, allowing up to 10 percent of general bus and bus facility grant funds to be used for workforce training, and broadening training eligibility across all federal bus programs under the statute. The bill explicitly supports registered apprenticeships and labor-management training partnerships as eligible program structures.
The workforce problem the bill addresses is structural rather than cyclical. Transit agencies are navigating simultaneous pressure from two directions: an experienced workforce aging out of the industry, and a rapid shift in vehicle technology that renders existing technical knowledge insufficient. The transition to zero-emission buses is the most visible driver of the skills gap. Battery electric buses require fundamentally different maintenance and operational expertise — high-voltage systems, electronic diagnostics, and updated safety procedures — compared to conventional diesel fleets. Amalgamated Transit Union International President John Costa noted the practical dimension directly, stating that today’s transit buses are mechanically unrecognizable compared to even a decade ago and that the union has already been developing programs to close the gap for its members.
Transportation Trades Department President Greg Regan, representing the AFL-CIO’s transit labor affiliates, framed the stakes in terms of service reliability and job quality simultaneously — a pairing that reflects the bill’s positioning as an investment in both workforce capacity and the riding public’s access to functional transit.
The legislation was introduced with 19 House cosponsors, including Reps. Julia Brownley, Jesús García, Chris Deluzio, Shomari Figures, Valerie Foushee, Laura Friedman, Maxwell Frost, Val Hoyle, Jared Huffman, Hank Johnson, Jonathan Jackson, Seth Moulton, Jerry Nadler, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Chris Pappas, Nellie Pou, Patrick Ryan, Marilyn Strickland, and Dina Titus. The breadth of the cosponsor list, spanning delegations from California, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, Oregon, and beyond, reflects how widely the transit workforce shortage is being felt across geographically and demographically distinct transit systems. Whether the bill advances in a Congress focused on surface transportation reauthorization will determine whether the funding flexibility it proposes becomes a durable part of federal transit policy.