U.S. DOT Announces Funding to Improve America’s Bus Infrastructure Nationwide

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) will award $366.2 million in grants to improve the safety and reliability of America’s bus systems and enhance mobility for transit riders. The funding supports projects to replace, rehabilitate, and purchase buses and related equipment, as well as projects to purchase, rehabilitate, and construct bus-related facilities.

“Bus transportation is the most widely available form of public transportation across the country,” said FTA Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams. “These grants are a significant step in achieving the Administration’s goal of rebuilding our nation’s transportation infrastructure.”

Projects featuring natural gas vehicles include:

City of Visalia, California — The City of Visalia will receive $569,595 in funding to purchase new CNG replacement buses, which will allow the city to continue to provide shuttle service from Visalia to Fresno.

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), California — The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) will receive $5,457,098 in funding to replace diesel buses with CNG buses in Los Angeles County. The new buses will help the agency replace aging buses that have exceeded their useful life.

Miami Dade County, Florida — Miami Dade County will receive $11 million in funding to replace diesel buses with CNG buses throughout the fleet. The new buses will replace older model diesel buses that have met or exceeded their useful life. Metrobus provides the primary form of public transportation for riders throughout Florida’s most populous area.

The Transit Authority of the City of Omaha (Metro), Nebraska — The Transit Authority of the City of Omaha (Metro) will receive $6,685,000 in funding to purchase associated infrastructure for CNG and electric buses. This will help Metro improve environmental efficiency with its CNG/electric fleet and enhance employee safety and productivity throughout its facilities.

Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority, Ohio — The Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority (PARTA) will receive $165,330 in funding to make the bus wash system CNG-compliant to maintain and ensure service reliability.

Demand for FTA’s Buses and Bus Facilities Infrastructure Investment Program far exceeded available funds, as FTA received applications for 339 eligible projects totaling approximately $2 billion in funding requests, from a total of 255 applicants in 51 states and territories.

In Fiscal Year 2018, FTA has awarded more than $15 billion in funding through both formula and competitive grant programs to support public transportation.