The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) recently announced the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to apply for approximately $454.6 million in Fiscal Year 2020 competitive grant funding for transit bus projects. The Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program is authorized to improve the condition of bus infrastructure by funding the replacement and rehabilitation of buses and related facilities.
“The Buses and Bus Facilities Program is an excellent opportunity to leverage technology to modernize bus fleets and improve the mobility for their residents through innovation,” said FTA Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams.
Projects eligible for this funding opportunity include those that would replace, rehabilitate, lease, or purchase buses and related equipment. Other eligible projects involve purchasing, rehabilitating, constructing or leasing bus-related facilities, such as buildings for bus storage and maintenance.
The NOFO also encourages applicants to demonstrate how their proposed projects are consistent with the Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (R.O.U.T.E.S.) and the Accelerating Innovative Mobility (AIM) initiatives.
FTA will award the grants to eligible recipients, including fixed route bus operators, states and local governmental entities that operate fixed route bus service, and Indian tribes. Projects will be evaluated by criteria outlined in the NOFO. As required by law, the program allocates a minimum of 10 percent of its funding to rural bus needs. Applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on March 30, 2020.
Federal public transportation law (49 USC § 5339(b)) authorizes FTA’s competitive Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program through FY 2020.
In the previous round of grants, the FY 2019 Buses and Bus Facilities Infrastructure Investment Program funded 94 projects in 42 states and territories totaling $423 million.