Sample Letter to the Editor

Editor

Letters to the Editor Page

[name of publication]

[street address]

[city/state/zip]

To the Editor:

I read with great interest your article on [insert description] titled [name and date of publication]. I agree with many of the points made in the piece. Your readers may also be interested to know …

or

Unfortunately, the article failed to present some of the most important facts about how public transportation benefits our community.

or

Your reporter [name] made some extremely important points about the importance of public transportation [or describe] that deserve to be emphasized.

Public transportation is indeed a lifeline in [city/town/region] and in the country. Nationally, millions of Americans do not drive because they are elderly, too young, afflicted with a disability or cannot afford a car. These individuals rely solely on public transportation to stay connected to their jobs, schools, libraries, families or get to their doctor, the grocery store, the museum or the park.

Right here in [city/ town], our [local public transit authority] serves [number of people] every day. According to [name of source], our local system provides essential transportation for [number] low-income residents, people with disabilities and senior citizens who have no other reliable means of mobility. [Add any other local statistics that show the variety and large number of people served.]

[Optional paragraph:] Many people do not realize that public transportation is at the core of our country’s "Welfare to Work" program. According to a 1999 study by the U.S. Department of health and Human Services, an astounding 94 percent of welfare recipients do not have cars and rely on public transportation to be a part of the workforce. Clearly, being able to get to a job is just as important as finding a job.

Public transportation helps make [city/town] more "livable" by providing freedom and mobility to our residents. And when people are given good transportation choices, they are more likely to forge new social and business relationships that improve the quality of life, gain a stronger sense of community and strengthen economic development. [Insert a sentence about how investing in transportation locally has improved the local economy.]

Clearly, public transportation matters to everyone in our community.

or

[Insert a closing sentence that refers back specifically to the article.]

Sincerely,

[name]

[title/organization]