FTA Awards $409M in Transit Bus Grants

March 18, 2022

The Federal Transit Administration recently awarded $409.3 million in grants to 70 projects in 39 states to modernize and electrify America’s buses, make bus systems and routes more reliable, and improve their safety.

[Above photo by the MBTA]

The grants support modernizing and improving transit bus systems across the country, helping dozens of communities buy new-technology and electric buses that reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas or GHG emissions, the agency noted.

FTA’s Nuria Fernandez. Photo by AASHTO.

“Transit agencies are replacing aging buses and facilities with newer, cleaner infrastructure that is more efficient to operate and maintain,” noted FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez in a statement.

“Modern buses, especially those powered with electric batteries or fuel cells, improve air quality and help us address the climate crisis,” she said.

Several state departments of transportation are receiving funds from this round of FTA grants, in some cases passing those funds on to local transit agencies:

  • The Connecticut Department of Transportation will receive $11.4 million to buy battery-electric buses to replace diesel-powered buses that are past their useful life.
  • The California Department of Transportation will receive $2.92 million on behalf of the City of Arvin, located in the San Joaquin Valley Air District, to buy all-electric buses to replace older buses that have reached the end of their useful life while also building a “microgrid” to recharge those buses. Caltrans is also receiving $4.6 million on behalf of the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System, which provides transit service into Yosemite National Park from Merced, Mariposa, Mammoth Lakes, Sonora, Groveland, Fresno and Oakhurst, to purchase new buses.
  • The Colorado Department of Transportation will receive $13.5 million on behalf of the Town of Snowmass Village to construct a multi-modal transit station that also features bike and pedestrian improvements. The agency is also receiving $9.35 million on behalf of the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority to build a bus maintenance and storage facility, plus recharging infrastructure.
  • The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority – a division of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation – is getting $5 million to replace the Quincy Bus Maintenance Facility; the oldest in MBTA’s system. The new replacement facility that will allow the agency to convert the current fleet housed at the facility from diesel buses to all- electric buses.
  • The Maryland Department of Transportation is getting $1.49 million on behalf of Harford County to replace older buses that have exceeded their useful life.
  • The Michigan Department of Transportation will receive $6.19 million to purchase transit vehicles for rural transit agencies statewide, along with $7.39 million for the city of Alma, the Benzie Transportation Authority, the Eastern Upper Peninsula Transportation Authority, and the Thunder Bay Transportation Authority to enhance transit safety, boost access, and improve service reliability.
  • The Oklahoma Department of Transportation will receive $914,725 on behalf of the Ki Bois Area Transit System to construct a new American’s with Disabilities Act-compliant administrative facility and the Muskogee County Transit System to rehabilitate their maintenance facility.
  • The Oregon Department of Transportation will receive $244,800 on behalf of the city of Cottage Grove to purchase new buses to replace older buses for South Lane Wheels, the city’s transit service provider.
  • The Texas Department of Transportation is getting $22.8 million to buy replacement buses, build new transit maintenance facilities, and support charging infrastructure for rural transit fleets.
  • The Utah Department of Transportation will receive $2.38 million on behalf of Park City to buy electric buses.
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