The Federal Transit Administration began disbursing a total of $30.5 billion in American Rescue Plan or ARP funding on March 29 to support public transportation systems across the country as they continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
[Above photo by CTtransit.]
“Transportation workers are serving on the front lines of this pandemic: delivering the vaccine, getting people to essential jobs, and providing goods and services to people who need them,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a statement.
“The critical American Rescue Plan funding we are announcing today will help prevent service cuts, protect employees from layoffs, keep riders and workers safe, and strengthen our economy,” he added.
The FTA is allocating some $26.6 billion of ARP funding by statutory formulas to urban and rural areas, tribal governments, and for the enhanced mobility of seniors and individuals with disabilities – with a further $2.2 billion to FTA grant recipients in communities that demonstrate additional pandemic-associated needs.
Funds are available at 100-percent federal share and primarily directed to operations and payroll. An additional $1.7 billion is available for projects in the Capital Investment Grants or CIG Program and another $25 million for competitive planning grants.
“This is an important moment in our nation’s pandemic response,” said FTA Acting Administrator Nuria Fernandez. “The American Rescue Plan Act contains funding to help speed up vaccine distribution and provide relief to transit agencies so they can continue to provide service to the many Americans who depend on transit to get to essential jobs, healthcare and vaccine appointments.”
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