Skip to main content

US DOT announces 2016 funding for clean buses

The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has announced the 20 transit providers in 13 states which will receive a share of US$55 million under its Low or No-Emission (Low-No) Bus Competitive Grant Program. The program provides funding for buses and related technology that replaces aging diesel fuel buses with battery-electric or fuel cell-powered vehicles and incorporates other innovations. Among the projects selected to receive 2016 Low-No funding are the Santa Clara Va
July 27, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The 324 US Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has announced the 20 transit providers in 13 states which will receive a share of US$55 million under its Low or No-Emission (Low-No) Bus Competitive Grant Program. The program provides funding for buses and related technology that replaces aging diesel fuel buses with battery-electric or fuel cell-powered vehicles and incorporates other innovations.

Among the projects selected to receive 2016 Low-No funding are the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority of California which will purchase battery electric zero-emission buses and fast-charging stations, upgrade a maintenance facility and provide workforce training on maintaining new technology buses.

The Miami-Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works will receive funding to purchase 40-foot electric buses, which will replace part of a fleet that now has 70 per cent of its traditional buses operating beyond their expected useful life.

Park City Transit of Utah will receive funding to purchase zero-emission buses that will run on a bus rapid transit route and provide high-frequency service connecting major activity areas and giving residents and visitors a viable commuting option with cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles.

FTA awarded the FY 2016 funds after a competitive review of more than 100 applications. The grants allow agencies to acquire buses and supporting facilities and infrastructure such as maintenance facilities and recharging equipment – including new ‘en-route’ charging that extends battery life. Many agencies also use the grants to develop knowledge in their workforces about how to operate and maintain a new generation of buses.

Related Content

  • May 30, 2014
    Making the case for interstate tolling
    A provision in the Grow America Act, introduced to Congress last month by Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx, proposes lifting a decades-old ban on tolling existing interstate general purpose lanes. According Daniel Papiernik, HNTB Corporation's mid-Atlantic toll services leader, writing in Roll Call, recent opposition to the proposal is short-sighted. He claims that relying on revenues derived from the gas tax is simply an unsustainable way of funding the nation’s aging roads, bridges and tunnels
  • March 1, 2024
    Optibus makes GTFS Manager available in Europe
    First stop for General Transit Feed Specification is partnership with Geoactio in Spain
  • August 5, 2020
    Keolis wins Stockholm e-bus extension
    €500 million deal means Swedish contract will run to mid-2026
  • May 21, 2018
    San Francisco to have all-electric bus fleet by 2035
    An all-electric bus fleet is coming to San Francisco by 2035. The commitment stems from an agreement between mayor Mark Farrell and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which operates Muni – the city’s public transit system. Muni manages a fleet of zero-emission electric trolley buses and a fleet of low- emission electric hybrid vehicles. The SFMTA is rolling out new electric buses with higher capacity battery systems that supply power for its vehicles along several hybrid routes.