DOT announces $55 Million Grants, HRT gets $500k

September 22, 2017

Protera electric busHampton Roads Transit was awarded $500,000 for a full electric bus. This is the first FTA LONO project to be successful in Virginia, and our neighbors in Montgomery County Maryland was also successful in their effort which will be a smaller 35’ bus.

Hampton Roads Transit will purchase 40-ft Proterra Catalyst E2 Extended Range Electric Buses and associated Depo Plug-in Chargers. These buses have the benefit of improving air quality by eliminating dangerous particulate emissions, and results in a savings of 14.5 million pounds of carbon emissions during the useful life of the buses.

U.S. Department of Transportation Announces $55 Million in Grants to Support High-Tech Low-No Buses, American Manufacturing

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) today announced $55 million in grant selections through the Low or No Emission (Low-No) Vehicle program, which funds the development of transit buses and infrastructure that use advanced fuel technologies. Fifty-one projects in 39 states will receive a share of the funding.

“The projects selected through the highly-competitive Low-No program all demonstrate strong value to American communities,” said FTA Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams. “As transit providers nationwide face a backlog of maintenance needs, it is imperative to replace aging buses near the end of their useful life with newer, cleaner models that are also more efficient to operate and maintain.”

Eligible projects included those that replace, rehabilitate, lease, and purchase buses and related equipment as well as projects to purchase, rehabilitate, construct or lease bus-related facilities, such as buildings for bus storage and maintenance. Projects can also include workforce development components to train the next generation of transit employees.

“The projects selected through the highly-competitive Low-No program all demonstrate strong value to American communities,” said FTA Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams. “As transit providers nationwide face a backlog of maintenance needs, it is imperative to replace aging buses near the end of their useful life with newer, cleaner models that are also more efficient to operate and maintain.”

Eligible recipients included transit agencies, state transportation departments, and Indian tribes. Projects were selected on a competitive basis using evaluation criteria outlined in the Notice of Funding Opportunity, such as community needs, project benefits, and local technical and financial capacity.

The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, passed by Congress and signed into law in December 2015, authorizes FTA’s Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program, which includes the Low or No Emission Grants Program, through FY 2020.

Interested municipalities should contact VCC if they would like to explore electric buses

https://www.transit.dot.gov/about/news/FY17-Low-No-Project-Selections