The Business Press – June 26, 2023 at 09:52PM
The U.S. Department of Transportation has recently announced that it is awarding nearly $1.7 billion in grants to transit projects in 46 states and territories. This funding is aimed at helping transit agencies and state and local governments purchase zero- and low-emission buses. The grants will enable the purchase of 1,700 U.S.-built buses, with almost half of these having zero carbon emissions.
With funding coming from the bipartisan infrastructure bill signed by President Joe Biden earlier this year, more electric vehicles now on the road is a priority for the Democratic Party. This investment is essential to reduce the damage caused by climate change.
There are currently over 60,000 buses on the roads in America, providing transport to and from work, school and other appointments. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has said that: “These are unprecedented levels of investment when it comes to putting modern cleaner buses on the road.”
This announcement covers the second round of grants for buses and supporting infrastructure, taking the U.S.’s total investment in these projects to around $3.3 billion, with roughly $5 billion expected to be awarded over the next three years. Demand for funding has been so high that the government received 475 project proposals, totaling around $8.7 billion in funding requests.
The Biden administration believes that this investment will have a positive impact on public health, with diesel exhaust being drastically reduced. These electric buses will also be easier to maintain. So, while Washington, D.C. will use $104 million to make a bus garage an electric facility and buy approximately 100 electric battery buses, Iowa City, Iowa and the Seneca Nation in Western New York will also receive grants.
The Seattle area will spend $33.5 million to purchase 30 electric battery buses and chargers, as it looks to become a more sustainable city.
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