; and (2) to support State, county, and local municipalities in improving and expanding access to safe, accessible, and reliable mass transit systems in order to improve the livability of communities. 3. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) Increasing access to safe, reliable, and affordable public transit systems, including buses, light rail, and subways can help increase community livability and mobility to critical services such as education, jobs, and healthcare. (2) The cost of transit fares can act as a challenging economic barrier for low-income individuals and families who are most likely to rely on public transportation to access critical services and must spend larger parts of their household budget on transportation services. Removing economic barriers to safe, reliable, and affordable public transit, can help to increase social and economic mobility by increasing access to education, training, and employment. (3) Individuals with disabilities are twice as likely as those without disabilities to have inadequate access to safe, affordable, and reliable transportation. Reports have found that of the nearly 2 million people with disabilities who are unable to leave their homes, nearly 30 percent is due to lack of adequate transportation. (4) As the senior population continues to grow, an increasing number of elderly adults depend on public transit to access medical care and other vital services. Additionally, the percentage of 13 to 34-year-olds without a driver’s license continues to grow. Taken together, these trends show the unprecedented urgency of investing in and improving our public transit systems. (5) According to the Department of Transportation, transportation accounts for 29 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Public transportation, however, produces significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions per passenger mile than by private vehicles. Increasing public transit ridership and moving more people to and from critical services with fewer vehicles on the road can