FY2023 Buses & Bus Facilities and Low-No Grants
The Federal Transit Administration announces $1.7 billion to put better, cleaner American made buses on the roads across the country
Overview
On June 26, 2023, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced nearly $1.7 billion in funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for 130 transit projects in 46 states and territories.
The funding supports rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure and creating a manufacturing and innovation boom powered by good-paying jobs that grow the American economy from the bottom up and middle out.
How to Navigate:
- Double click on the interactive maps to zoom in on a state or region.
- Click and drag to view new areas.
- Select individual projects to learn more about them, including project sponsors, descriptions, and funding amounts.
This national map shows all 130 projects awarded in 2023.
Zero emission bus projects represent any project that includes the purchase of one or more zero emission vehicles. Many such projects also include associated facility upgrades, and purchases of other types of vehicles as well.
Low emission bus projects include the purchase of one or more low emitting vehicles, but no zero emission vehicles.
Conventional bus projects include the purchase of at least one traditionally fueled vehicle (for example, diesel or gasoline) and may also include facilities upgrades. But conventional bus projects do not include any low-or no-emission vehicles.
Facility projects are those that do not include any vehicle purchases. They are strictly upgrades or expansions to bus facilities and infrastructure, and may be unrelated to fueling infrastructure but critical to transit operations and accessibility. For example, some conventional bus facilities projects include building a new bus transfer facility, and upgrading bus stops to be ADA accessible.
The project awards are supported by FTA’s Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities and Low- and No-Emission (Low-No) Vehicle programs.
$1.22 billion was awarded to 83 projects through the Low-No program, which makes funding available to help transit agencies buy or lease U.S.-built low- or no-emission vehicles, including buses and vans, facility and station upgrades to accommodate low- or no-emission vehicles, and supporting equipment like battery electric charging.
An additional $473.1 million was awarded to 47 projects through the Buses and Bus Facilities program, which provides federal funding for transit agencies to buy and rehabilitate buses and vans and build and modernize bus facilities.
Mountain Line in Flagstaff, AZ unveiling their first electric bus.
This record investment will not only help local transit agencies upgrade bus facilities and replace older buses in their fleet with newer models, it is also an investment in the American workforce. Every single vehicle purchased with these funds will be made in the U.S., supporting good paying manufacturing jobs in communities around the country.
Thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, more than $49 million will be dedicated specifically to training America's transit workers on new zero-emission technologies, helping them get the skills they need to thrive into the future.
Agencies will work with community colleges and universities, unions, the Transit Workforce Center and others to upskill and train transit workers across the country.
Transit workers build, maintain, and operate our nation's bus fleets and facilities. Every day they help millions of Americans get where they need to go safely, and efficiently.
They include skilled drivers, mechanics, and more. The transit workforce development opportunities funded through these grants will make sure that those working on older buses today are trained to be the next generation electric transit workforce of tomorrow.
“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.”
Bus Projects
87 of the 130 projects awarded nationally in 2023 will fund either zero emission buses or low emission buses, replacing older vehicles that expel more pollution.
Combined, these projects will deliver more than 1,300 new American-made buses running on green technology. These modern vehicles will reduce noise and air pollution for the communities they serve.
They will also save transit agencies money in maintenance and fuel over the long run.
Select projects on the interactive map to learn more, including funding recipients, amounts, and project descriptions.
King County Metro
King County Metro Transit in Seattle, Washington will receive $33.5 million to buy 30 battery-electric buses and charging equipment and train workers to maintain the electric fleet.
King County Metro electric bus.
The project will replace polluting buses on 27 routes that serve low-income and minority areas, and expand Metro’s apprenticeship program, including promoting transit careers for residents in underserved communities.
King County Metro electric buses charging.
These new electric buses will eliminate approximately 2,100 tons of carbon emission each year.
New Orleans Regional Transit Authority
The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) will receive funding to buy approximately 20 zero-emission vehicles and charging equipment, provide a microgrid to support charging resiliency after major storm events, and design and implement a workforce training program.
The project will improve safety, air quality and reliability for residents and visitors to the New Orleans metropolitan area.
DART
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) will receive $103 million to buy approximately 90 new compressed natural gas buses to replace older buses.
The Project is part of DARTs Mobility + Program that will enhance mobility for the regions most disadvantaged communities while also improving air quality.
Iowa Department of Transportation
The Iowa Department of Transportation will receive $17.8 million for its Providing Rural Iowa Zero Emission Services (PRIZES) project. The funding will allow five transit agencies serving rural communities to buy battery-electric buses and charging equipment to replace older diesel buses along.
The project will also support a route expansion, and the construction of transit facilities and workforce development activities.
The five transit agencies supported by this grant include, Clinton Municipal Transit Administration (MTA), River Bend Transit (RBT), Heart of Iowa Regional Transit Agency (HIRTA), Southwest Iowa Transit Agency (SWITA), and Coralville Transit.
The new American-made electric vehicles to be purchased through this project will reduce operating costs for those agencies while improving transit service in rural communities they serve.
Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS)
The City of Charlotte will receive nearly $31 million to buy approximately 15 battery-electric and 16 hybrid-electric buses. The funding will also support charging equipment, a natural gas generator, and the development of a workforce training program to train technicians and operators on the new technology.
The project will improve service, reliability and air quality for residents in Charlotte and surrounding areas.
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) will receive the largest 2023 award, $104 million to buy approximately 100 battery-electric buses, convert its Lorton, Virginia bus garage to a fully electric facility, and develop a workforce training program for drivers, mechanics and first responders to ensure safe and efficient operations of the fleet.
This project is essential to two transit agencies. It will support WMATA’s plans to accelerate its transition to a 100-percent zero-emission bus fleet by 3 years, and through a unique regional partnership, will support Fairfax County’s future all-electric Bus Rapid Transit system.
Groundbreaking for WMATA's Northern Bus Garage, which will house 150 electric buses.
The project will create good paying construction jobs, which will be supported through a project labor agreement and registered apprenticeships.
Facilities Projects
“Today, we are creating new opportunities to dramatically improve the lives of millions of Americans who ride on buses every day,” said FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez. “Thanks to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, these grants will help deliver a cleaner and more modern mode of transportation, designed to reach everyone, and to work for everyone, particularly in places that haven’t received enough resources in the past."
Federal support for bus projects over the last several years has been instrumental in moving people and helping communities advance toward their climate goals.
To continue as the backbone of American public transit, buses require support from operations and maintenance facilities. 34 of this year's awarded projects focus exclusively on upgrading, modernizing, or expanding bus facilities.
20 of those projects will upgrade facilities to support or expand zero-emission fleets.
Select a project on the interactive map to learn more about it, including funding recipient, amount, and project description.
Alabama A&M
Alabama A&M University's Bulldog Transit System will receive $8.1 million to upgrade its bus storage facility to expand the use of solar energy to power its charging station and other bus facilities, part of a project to transition the university's fleet to zero emissions in 2024.
Solar powered bus facility
This project will improve air quality in the Huntsville community.
Chapel Hill Transit
The town of Chapel Hill will receive $2.16 million to make up to 60 bus stops ADA accessible while improving safety and security.
The project will improve access for people with disabilities and also improve service connections to regional transit operators and communities by upgrading stops used by Chapel Hill Transit, Orange County Transit, GoTriangle Regional Transit, and Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation, connecting riders to Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and the University of North Carolina.
ODOT/Oklahoma State University
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation will receive $6 million on behalf of Oklahoma State University's Stillwater Community Transit (OSU Transit) to complete the new OSU Transportation Operations and Maintenance Facility.
The project will replace OSU Transit's 50 year-old facility and increase the number of bus bays from two to 12 while improving the fleet's state of good repair and service reliability.
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez announced the FY2023 Low-No and Buses and Bus Facilities awards from Philadelphia, including an $80 million award for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA).
She was joined by SEPTA leadership, the Mayor of Philadelphia, and local congressional representatives.
SEPTA award announcement, left to right: Mayor Jim Kenney, SEPTA Board Chair Pasquale “Pat” T. Deon, Sr., U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez, U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, SEPTA Manager and CEO Leslie Richards.
SEPTA's award will support the agency's transition to zero-emission vehicles by funding improvements to six bus maintenance facilities, which house 67% of its fleet.
The project will upgrade power systems, modernize electrical infrastructure and install safety systems, part of its work to improve safety, state of good repair and ensure SEPTA is prepared as it transitions to a zero-emission fleet.
Rural and Statewide Awards
Projects in rural areas are submitted as part of consolidated or statewide applications, in which a state agency (typically a state department of transportation) seeks funding on behalf of one or more transit agencies.
The state will receive a consolidated grant award from FTA, then distribute portions of the award to its subrecipient agencies, typically small urban and rural communities. Amounts received by each subrecipient are at the discretion of each state awardee.
38 awards totaling more than $200 million in funding were made to projects serving rural communities, including 34 awards to states on behalf of rural communities, and four awards to Tribal nations.
The number of subrecipients for the state awards ranged from just one, to more than 30.
Select a project on the interactive map to learn more about it.
Larger icons represent the state agency receiving the consolidated award on behalf of rural and/or small urban communities.
Smaller icons represent the individual small urban or rural communities that are subrecipients of the state awards.
Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT)
The Ohio Department of Transportation will receive more than $29 million for its Ohio Zero Emission Ready (OH-ZERO) project.
The funding will support support 10 transit agencies serving both rural and urban communities. It will allow them to buy dozens of low or no emission buses that will replace older vehicles, expand fleets to support essential services, train workers in good-quality careers, and begin the decarbonization transition for several of Ohio's major transit systems.
The new battery electric, CNG, and propane- powered buses supported by this grant will improve air quality and transit reliability, and lower maintenance costs across the state.
Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)
The Texas Department of Transportation received $7.4 million on behalf of 29 rural transportation districts across the state for its FY23 Rural Transit Vehicle Replacement Project.
The project will improve transit service and reliability, reduce fuel consumption and lower maintenance costs for critical transit services in rural areas across the state.
The funding will support the purchase of 56 hybrid-electric and CNG cut-away transit vehicles replace aging transit vehicles for Texas's rural transit systems. The project will improve transit service and reliability, reduce fuel consumption and lower maintenance costs for critical transit services in rural areas across the state
Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT)
The Illinois Department of Transportation won two consolidated awards for a total of nearly $25 million.
The first $12.6 million award is for IDOT's Consolidated Vehicle Procurement (CVP) program on behalf of 33 rural and urban subrecipients throughout Illinois. It will support the purchase 134 new conventionally fueled on-demand and complementary paratransit vehicles.
The second $12.3 million award is on behalf of 24 subrecipient transit agencies (5 large urban, 4 small urban, and 15 rural communities). It will support the purchase and deployment of 50 battery electric paratransit buses and associated charging infrastructure.
Combined, the new vehicles delivered by these projects will help provide Illinois residents continued access to essential services such as healthcare and groceries.
Tribal Projects
More than 12 million miles are traveled on Tribal lands and within Alaskan Villages on public transportation every year, connecting Native Americans with services inside their communities and to jobs, schools and opportunities in nearby towns and cities.
Four Tribal nations were awarded a total of more than $13.3 million. These projects include critical facilities upgrades, and the purchase of both zero emission battery electric and low emitting propane powered buses.
These awards will help the Tribes to lower emissions while also providing quality public transportation that gets students to their classes, workers to their jobs, elders to their medical appointments and tribal citizens to their gathering grounds.
Seneca Nation of Indians
The Seneca Nation Department of Transportation (SNDOT) will receive more than $5.8 million to replace an outdated maintenance facility, which will serve as a centralized location of operations for SNDOT and the Seneca Transit System.
The new facility will allow the agency to store, maintain and wash transit buses safely and effectively.
Seminole Nation of Oklahoma
The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma will receive $6.4 million to build a bus maintenance facility and buy propane-powered transit vehicles as well as a propane refueling station.
The new facilities will support better transit services, current and future growth, and promote the Seminole Nation's economic self-determination, sovereignty and sustainability.
Many of the transit agencies receiving grants pledged to buy standardized buses and vans and avoid customization, which will result in faster delivery and lower costs.
The FY2023 awards are supported by FTA’s Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities and Low- and No-Emission (Low-No) Vehicle programs. The Buses and Bus Facilities program provides federal funding for transit agencies to buy and rehabilitate buses and vans and build and modernize bus facilities. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides nearly $2 billion through FY 2026 for the program. For FY 2023, approximately $473.1 million for grants was available under this program.
FTA’s Low-No program makes funding available to help transit agencies buy or lease U.S.-built low- or no-emission vehicles, including buses and vans, facility and station upgrades to accommodate low- or no-emission vehicles, and supporting equipment like battery electric charging. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides $5.5 billion through FY 2026 for the Low-No Program – more than six times greater than the previous five years of funding. For FY 2023, approximately $1.22 billion was available for grants under this program.
In response to the Notice of Funding Opportunity , FTA received 475 eligible applications from 47 States, 1 Territory, & Washington, D.C. requesting a combined total of $8.7 billion.
