Gov. Mike Kehoe is proposing a $5 million reduction in state aid to Missouri’s roughly 30 public transportation providers – something they call a “catastrophic loss.”
Mike Winter, a lobbyist for the Missouri Public Transit Association and Citizens for Modern Transit, told the state House Budget Committee the governor’s request represents an 85% cut in funding since Kehoe took office in 2025.
“We are obviously concerned about what that will mean as we try to provide services to your constituents who may be relying on us as a way to get to work, to get to health care, or to help them get to the grocery store to buy groceries and other things,” said Winter.
The governor’s proposal would leave $1.7 million in state funding for them if the state chooses not to restore the funds. The groups say per capita spending has already dropped from $1.89 to $1.08 in the last year—which is among the lowest in the nation—and would drop to 27 cents under Kehoe’s proposal.
Missouri’s public transit providers say the reduction would create a “dire situation.”
According to the association, the providers deliver nearly 40 million rides annually in Missouri, while also stimulating $4 billion in economic activity.
A letter signed by 31 businesses and groups asks the state to restore the funding.
“I think the request covers the gamut – from health care all the way to employers that see the benefit of funding the public transit line item at least at the $5 million request,” said Winters.
OATS Transit—the largest rural transit provider, serving 87 rural Missouri counties, reports employment as its leading trip purpose and the demand is growing.
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