Transit in California provides an essential service for the working poor in urban areas, and is literally a lifeline for many residents in lower-income communities throughout the state. Consider the following:

• The Los Angeles bus system alone carries twice as many passengers as all of the commercial airlines in the state combined; 76 percent of riders on Los Angeles County MTA's buses have no access to a car.

• As federal and state welfare reform rules impose strict new guidelines and schedules, tens of thousands of former welfare recipients will entering the job market and become dependent on some form of transit to ensure their ability to find work. Over 90 percent of former welfare recipients have no access to a car.

• According to the 1990 U.S. Census (the most recent year for which numbers are available), the average income for California commuters driving alone to work was $50,094. Those riding in a two-person carpool averaged an income of $45,206, and those taking the bus had an average annual income of $33,071.

• According to the 1990 U.S. Census, the average annual income for a two-car household in California was $44,218. The typical household with access to just one vehicle averaged an annual income of $23,449. Households without access to any vehicle earned an income of just $10,865.

• 48 percent of riders on Los Angeles County MTA's buses have household incomes less than $15,000.