INVESTING IN AMERICA: Biden-Harris Administration Boosts Transit Manufacturing with $1.5 Billion from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

Federal Funding to Modernize Public Transit with American-Made Buses

Washington, D.C. / July 9, 2024 / FTA -- The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration (FTA) today announced approximately $1.5 billion in funding to support 117 projects aimed at improving public transportation across 47 states. 

Image Source | (©xegxef | pixabay)

This third round of historic funding, under President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, continues the administration's efforts to modernize transit buses, reduce air pollution, and train workers on new technologies. Over the past three years, nearly $5 billion has been awarded to replace and upgrade transit buses, creating more than 4,600 American-made buses.

"Today, another 117 communities across 47 states are receiving the good news that their transit buses are being modernized and their commutes improved through President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. "The Biden-Harris Administration is helping agencies replace old buses running on dirtier, expensive fuels by delivering modern and zero-emission buses, manufactured by American workers, that will connect more people to where they need to go."

"Investing in low-emission and no-emission transit buses has emerged as a transformational pillar of President Biden's transportation emissions reductions strategy. This innovative and common-sense approach is already bolstering American manufacturing and creating good-paying union jobs – and it will safeguard the planet for future generations," said Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi. "By modernizing transit with improved clean energy technologies, we will also boost the longevity of our mass transportation system, reduce traffic congestion, and clean up the air we breathe in the neighborhoods and communities that line our roads and highways."

This funding continues the Biden-Harris Administration's historic federal investments in the nation’s bus systems and the transit workforce. About 80 percent of the buses being funded will run on zero or low emission technology, reducing air pollution and helping meet the President’s goal of zero emissions by 2050. These programs also advance President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.

"Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are creating new opportunities to improve the lives of millions of Americans who rely daily on buses," said FTA Acting Administrator Veronica Vanterpool. "These grants will help deliver cleaner and greener 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 improving public transit and helping communities advance their climate goals.

For this year's selections, FTA prioritized awards that will help strengthen U.S. bus manufacturing, stabilize the cost of new buses, and accelerate the delivery of new vehicles. Of the 117 projects selected, 47 projects totaling $817 million are from applicants that committed to procuring standard model buses or using a joint procurement. By prioritizing these awards, FTA is encouraging lower costs and faster vehicle delivery, resulting in more American-built buses hitting the road sooner.