FTA is celebrating its 60th anniversary. Find a summary of federal transit program history below and view highlights of FTA (and its predecessor, UMTA) as we remember six decades of transforming transit in America. 

July 9, 1964 

The Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964 created a federal transit program.

• President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the law 
• $375 million for transit capital projects for fiscal years 1965-1967
• The Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) managed the program from 1964-1968  

February 8, 1965

First transit grants awarded: 

• $6 million to Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to modernize rapid transit stations
• $565,740 to Minneapolis to build Nicollet Avenue Transit Mall
• $77,000 to Vallejo, CA to purchase new buses

August 25, 1966

The federal transit program awarded $13.1 million to build 12 miles of the Bay Area Rapid Transit system’s Orange Line, the first grant for a new fixed-guideway rapid rail transit system.  

July 1, 1968

The federal transit program became part of the new Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA) located in the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). 

June 1970

The first grant for an exclusive fixed-guideway bus line goes to Pittsburgh for the South Busway rapid transit line. 

October 1970

Federal law established the first version of the program known today as the Enhanced Mobility of Seniors & Individuals with Disabilities (Section 5310) program.

1971

A $120,000 grant to the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation (the Three Affiliated Tribes) in North Dakota for five buses on four routes covering 650 square miles represented the first Tribal Nation transit grant. 

1972

Ten UMTA regional offices established across America. 

1974

Federal law established the first formula for the urbanized area grant program (Section 5307).

1978

Federal law established formula grants for rural areas (Section 5311).

1982

Legislators approved a one-cent federal gas tax dedicated for transit, carving out a new Mass Transit account from transportation funding’s Highway Trust Fund. 

1987 

Federal transit law established the Fixed Guideway Modernization Formula grant program, predecessor to today’s State of Good Repair program. Bus Testing and Project Management Oversight programs were also created.  

1990

The Americans with Disabilities Act civil right law begins requiring accessible public transit and complementary paratransit.  

1991

Federal transit law renamed UMTA the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).  

• The change reflected the program’s support for transit nationwide serving all communities, including specialized service for seniors and people with disabilities.
• The National Transit Institute, Rural Transit Assistance Program, Transit Cooperative Research Program, State Safety Oversight, and Flexible Funds provisions established in law. 

2002

The Lower Manhattan Recovery Office established to coordinate transit recovery after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. FTA provided $4.5 billion for projects to recover and revitalize Lower Manhattan.

2005

Federal transit law established the Small Starts program for lower cost fixed guideway bus and rail projects. Today, the program has funded over 70 high-capacity fixed guideway projects. Learn more about FTA's Capital Investment Grants.

2012

Federal transit law established major changes to state safety oversight programs and provided FTA inspection, investigative, and audit authority.  

2013

Following Hurricane Sandy, approximately $10.1 billion allocated for response, recovery, and rebuilding in New York, New Jersey and along the East Coast.

2015
Federal transit law established Low- and No-Emission Grants. FTA’s earlier research and demonstration of clean bus technology informed this grant program supporting clean bus purchases, improved bus facilities, and workforce development.

2020-2021

In response to COVID-19, three federal laws (CARES, CRRSA and the American Rescue Plan) provided $69.5 billion to support capital, operating, and other public transportation expenses in support of essential travel and industry health. 

November 15, 2021

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act authorized up to $108 billion for fiscal years 2022-2026 to modernize and expand transit, the greatest amount of public transportation funding in U.S. history.

July 9, 2024

FTA celebrated 60 years of the federal transit program, which transformed transit in America from scattered bus systems and a small number of high-capacity systems to a diverse set of transit providers in thousands of communities.