Projects help transit agencies buy dozens of climate-friendly electric buses and fund a new bus rapid transit line to modernize and improve rides

RALEIGH, NC – Today, Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Administrator Nuria Fernandez joined federal and local officials in Raleigh to announce that the Biden-Harris Administration has awarded a $35 million grant from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to the city for its new bus rapid transit (BRT) line along the New Bern Avenue corridor. The first piece of an ambitious transit expansion program, the BRT line will connect people who want to travel between downtown Raleigh to its eastern neighborhoods with a faster, more efficient transit option. The grant comes from FTA's Capital Investment Grants program, which saw a significant increase thanks to the legislation.

"When President Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in November, it created an opportunity for us to dramatically improve the lives of those millions of Americans who ride the bus every day," Fernandez said. "For too long, we have had to ride buses that have been pressed into service beyond their useful life, and transit agencies have had to scrimp on maintenance facilities and training for their workers. Now we are able to connect more people in Raleigh and across the nation, improve air quality and increase the reliability of transit service for thousands of riders."

Yesterday, Fernandez announced $76.3 million in grant awards to the Memphis Area Transit Authority to build a new operations and maintenance facility and buy approximately 16 electric buses to bring cleaner transit to the streets of Memphis. The grants come through FTA's Buses and Bus Facilities and Low- and No-Emission Vehicle programs.

On Tuesday, Fernandez joined local leaders in Atlanta to celebrate a $19.3 million low-no grant to buy up to 25 electric buses and charging equipment. The low-no grant will allow the Metropolitan Atlanta Regional Transit Authority to move forward with its comprehensive electrification plan, including a worker training program to help drivers and maintenance staff gain expertise with the new technology.

These announcements are part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Building a Better America Tour that Secretary Pete Buttigieg kicked off in Tampa, FL on August 23rd. The tour will see DOT leaders fan out to show how the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is delivering safe, efficient, and affordable transportation for communities across the country.

"We are proud to support so many outstanding infrastructure projects in communities large and small, modernizing America’s transportation systems to make them safer, more affordable, more accessible, and more sustainable," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. "Using funds from President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this year we are supporting more projects than ever before."

This year, Secretary Pete Buttigieg awarded over $2.2 billion in RAISE grants to 166 projects in all 50 states thanks to the President's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

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