Provide niagara frontier transportation authority FY26 section 5307 funding to support transit service

The Federal Transit Administration awarded Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority $29.406 million on August 19, 2026, under the Federal Transit Formula Grants program (CFDA 20.507) to support transit service in the Buffalo, New York urbanized area.

The funding supports bus and rail preventive maintenance activities, including supplies, materials, labor services, and associated costs required to preserve and extend the functionality and serviceability of transit assets. NFTA will use funding to purchase 40-foot battery electric buses to replace life-expired rolling stock and to purchase 40-foot battery electric bus charging infrastructure.

The award runs through November 30, 2028, with performance in New York. The expected outcomes include reducing NFTA's average bus fleet age, minimizing buses out of service for repairs, and reducing fleet maintenance costs. The transition to battery electric buses will reduce diesel fuel consumption and tailpipe greenhouse gas emissions. Preventive maintenance directly supports transit safety for riders, frontline workforce, and the public while reducing operational risk.

No sub-recipients are identified in this award.

Purpose

The purpose of this award is to provide niagara frontier transportation authority FY26 section 5307 funding to support transit service.

Activities

Funding will be used for bus preventive maintenance including all the activities supplies material labor services and associated costs required to preserve or extend the functionality and serviceability of the assets. Funding will be used for rail preventive maintenance including all the activities supplies material labor services and associated costs required to preserve or extend the functionality and serviceability of the assets. Funding will be used to purchase 40-foot battery electric buses to replace life expired rolling stock. Funding will be used to purchase 40-foot battery electric bus charging infrastructure.

Expected outcomes

This project will help nfta reduce its overall average bus fleet age minimize the number of buses out of service for repairs and reduce the cost of fleet maintenance. The purchase of replacement buses and preventive maintenance will reduce the frequency of breakdowns experienced by nfta-metros life and mileage-expired diesel-fueled fleet currently in service. By upgrading to electric fueled technologies nfta will reduce diesel fuel consumption and tailpipe greenhouse gas emissions.

Intended beneficiaries

5307 urbanized area funding is used for safety related projects which allows nfta to continue to provide safe efficient and convenient public transit throughout buffalo NY. Both bus and rail preventive maintenance activities are a top priority for nfta. Utilizing these funds for safety expenses ensures the safety of the transit rider frontline transit workforce and the safety of the public. Preventive maintenance is vital to fleet health which overall reduces risk for transit operations.