$1.7 Bln Granted To Put 1700 American-built Buses For Transit Projects In 46 States

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has announced nearly $1.7 billion to help introduce better, cleaner buses on the roads in communities across the country.

The funding from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will be used for transit projects in 46 states and territories.

Under this funding, more than 1,700 buses will be manufactured in the U.S. with American parts and labor. Nearly half of them will be zero-emission models, bringing the total number of zero-emission transit buses funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law over two years to more than 1,800. With this, the number of zero-emission transit buses on the country’s roadways will be doubled.

Many of the grant recipients have pledged to buy standardized buses and vans and avoid customization, which will result in faster delivery and lower costs, the Department of Transportation said.

In addition to investing in the future of transit, the awards announced today also invest in America’s workers. Twenty-two of the funded projects will operate with project labor agreements to ensure their efficient and timely completion, and 34 projects have committed to the gold standard model of registered apprenticeship, with supportive services such as childcare for employees.

“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,” said 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.”

The projects selected to receive FY 2023 funding include the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), King County Metro Transit in Seattle, The Ohio Department of Transportation, Iowa City, and The Seneca Nation of Indians in Western New York.

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