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

  • December 14, 2021
    EVs: Time for a rethink
    Given a growing body of evidence that EVs are not the clean, green machines they are made out to be, Andrew Bunn suggests they can only be part of the puzzle – not the answer to environmental problems
  • June 17, 2016
    Brooklyn eyes Bogota’s BRT system
    David Crawford considers the increased interest in bus rapid transit and looks that the latest trends. Bus rapid transit (BRT) is gaining an increasingly high profile in the US public transport agenda, for two main reasons. One is the potential for ‘trains on wheels’ to save substantially on installation costs as compared with other modes such as underground metros or light-rail transit. Another, highlighted in the case of New York City, is the value of having a rapid surface-based alternative available whe
  • July 28, 2017
    London’s mayor launches fund to help retire polluting diesel taxis
    In the latest in a series of measures to clean up London’s toxic air, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and Transport for London (TfL) have launched a US£55 million (£42 million) fund to encourage the owners of the oldest, most polluting diesel black cabs to retire them from the Capital’s fleet. Taxis are a significant contributor to London’s toxic air quality, and are responsible for 16 per cent of NOx and 26 per cent of Particulate Matter (PM) road transport emissions in central London. From today, the own
  • June 13, 2017
    Volvo's electric buses begin operation in Luxemburg
    From the beginning of June, four of Volvo’s all-electric 7900 buses have been in operation in Differdange, Luxembourg, operated by Sales-Lentz, which also has 12 electric hybrids and 30 hybrids from Volvo in its fleet.