BART GM: Transit funding in stimulus bill ‘critical lifeline’

A $2.2 trillion federal novel coronavirus stimulus package will include $25 billion in relief funding for public transit agencies across the country, an allocation BART General Manager Bob Powers this week called “critical lifeline funds.”

The package is the result of a bipartisan deal that includes an expansion of unemployment benefits, emergency funding for state and local governments, funding for hospitals, a pool of grants and loans for small businesses and $1,200 checks given to most Americans. The House of Representatives gave final passage to the economic aid package Friday morning, and President Donald Trump was expected to sign it quickly.