PATH Act

This bill modifies the evaluation criteria for federal fixed guideway capital investment grants by amending section 5309 of title 49, United States Code. The legislation aims to incorporate more comprehensive ridership forecasting methods when determining the justification of a project.

Specifically, it allows these forecasting methods to explicitly account for factors such as population density, population growth rate, and local development planning activities. Grant applicants will now be able to choose between population density or population growth rate, selecting the factor most beneficial for forecasting ridership for their specific project.

This change is designed to offer greater flexibility in assessing transit project viability, particularly in growing communities, by better reflecting potential ridership based on dynamic demographic and development trends.