The Federal Transit Administration on Friday announced 130 awards totaling nearly $1.7 billion for transit projects in 46 states and territories.
The grants will buy more than 1,700 American-built buses with American parts and labor, the FTA says, with nearly half of those being zero-emissions buses.
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"Every day, over 60,000 buses in communities of all sizes take millions of Americans to work, school and everywhere else they need to go," says U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. "Today's announcement means more clean buses, less pollution, more jobs in manufacturing and maintenance, and better commutes for families across the country."
This is the second bus grant package funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Over the next three years, the law will provide almost $5 billion more for transit, the FTA says.
"Today, we are creating new opportunities to dramatically improve the lives of millions of Americans who ride on buses every day," says FTA Administrator Nurla Fernandez.
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Some of the projects selected to receive funding for 2023 include:
- The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) will receive $104 million to convert its Lorton, Virginia, bus garage to a fully electric facility. It will also buy about 100 battery-electric buses and develop a workforce training program for drivers, mechanics and first responders to ensure safe and efficient operations.
- King County Metro Transit in Seattle will receive $33.5 million to buy about 30 battery-electric buses and charging equipment and to train workers to maintain the electric fleet. The project will convert 27 bus routes to serve low-income areas and expand Metro's apprenticeship program, including promoting transit careers for residents in underserved communities.
- The Ohio Department of Transportation will receive $29.3 million to help 10 transit agencies buy low- or zero-emissions buses, replacing older vehicles. Funding will also help train workers and being decarbonization transitions for several of Ohio's major transit systems.
- Iowa City, Iowa, will receive $23.3 million to buy four electric buses, replacing older diesel vehicles that have exceeded their useful life and to replace its operations and maintenance facility, originally constructed in the 1980s.
- The Seneca Nation of Indians in Western New York will receive $6 million to replace its outdated maintenance facility with a new building. That building will also serve as the jumping-off point for services in five New York counties.
These grants are part of the FTA's Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities and Low- and No-Emission Vehicle programs. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides nearly $2 billion through fiscal year 2026 for the Buses program and $5.5 billion for the Low-No program. Free technical assistance from the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation is also available to support transit agencies' shift to low- or zero-emission transit vehicles.
