More than $5.2 million in newly awarded federal grants for new buses and facility improvements means service improvements are coming to 18 public transportation providers in Washington.
The Washington State Department of Transportation this week announced the Federal Transit Administration grant recipients, each of which will use the funds to purchase or refurbish buses, equipment or transit facilities. The grants leverage $3.5 million in local matching funds from local transit agencies, a testament to WSDOT’s ongoing partnerships with public transportation providers.
Some of the grant recipients (full list below) include:
- Community Transit in Snohomish County, which will use a $1.7 million grant to help replace two of its signature double-deckers.
- Island Transit, which will replace five buses with its grant award of more than $677,570.
- Valley Transit in Walla Walla, which will replace two of its buses with new ones fueled by compressed natural gas.
WSDOT’s Public Transportation Division administers annual and biennial state and federal grant awards for transit agencies and other service providers across the state. But this was WSDOT’s first opportunity to award grant funding from FTA’s new Bus and Bus Facilities Program – Section 5339 of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century – MAP-21 – Act.
The federal program divided $65.5 among the 50 states, with a requirement of 20 percent local matching funds. WSDOT selected the grant recipients based on the federal program guidelines that recipients are public agencies or private nonprofit organizations that provide fixed-route bus service and special transportation services for people whose options are limited due to their age, income or disability.
