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Mass transit supporters rally at Statehouse

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – A referendum on higher taxes for a better mass transit system in Central Indiana will take place in 2016 at the earliest.

Supporters of mass transit were at the Statehouse Tuesday seeking more funding for bus service in smaller communities and rural areas in Indiana.

“We’re here to ask members of the General Assembly to increase state funding to $60 million to meet the demand for reliable local transit service,” said Kim Irwin with Indiana Citizens Alliance for Transit.

That funding has been frozen at $42.5 million for seven years now.

“I’m done with hearing the word subsidy, okay? No more subsidy, right? Because we should be using the word investment,” said State Rep. Randy Truitt, R-West Lafayette.

The current version of the budget calls for $60 million in transit funding. Cuts to those funds are anticipated in the state Senate.