WASHINGTON: The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that it will give cities and states $1.66 billion in grants to purchase 1,800 buses in a move to cleaner, lower-emission travel.
The grant will fund 1,100 zero-emission buses, nearly double the existing 1,300 zero-emission buses, according to the White House.
Funding for 150 bus vehicles from the $1 trillion Infrastructure Act of 2021 will help cities and states get rid of old polluting buses.
The funds will also purchase 700 buses, including hybrid electric, natural gas and diesel models. “These grants will be used in every corner of the country,” White House infrastructure coordinator Mitch Landrieu told reporters.
Buses accounted for about half of the 10 billion trips Americans made in 2019. .com/wp-content/uploads/APTA-2021-Fact-Book.pdf American Public Transportation Association.
Public transportation has been hit hard by COVID-19 as tens of millions of Americans have worked from home and curtailed business and tourist travel, but as Americans return to the office and travel The system reports that usage is increasing.
The New York Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), the busiest transit agency in the United States, received $116 million to purchase approximately 230 electric buses to replace older diesel buses and 5,800 Electrify nearly 4% of the bus fleet.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) received $104.1 million to purchase approximately 160 electric buses to replace older compressed natural gas (CNG) buses, and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to replace receive $116 million to purchase up to 85 EV buses for diesel model.
The Infrastructure Act provides $5.5 billion over five years for bus subsidies. This is six times the previous level of funding, with $2 billion to purchase and rehabilitate buses and build a bus maintenance facility.
Memphis will receive $54 million to build an operations/maintenance facility, and New Jersey Transit will receive $44.6 million to renovate a garage in Union City near New York and create a public bus terminal.
