PATH Act

The PATH Act modifies federal funding rules for fixed-guideway transit projects, such as rail lines, to allow grant recipients to use more flexible ridership forecasting methods. Under the new provisions, agencies can choose to base their forecasts on either population density or population growth rate, whichever factor is most beneficial for predicting ridership. The bill also requires these forecasts to consider local development planning activities alongside the chosen population metric. This change directly affects transit agencies applying for capital investment grants by expanding the data they may use to justify project viability.