Buses and Bus Facilities Formula, Competitive, and Low or No Emissions Programs

Provides capital funding to replace, rehabilitate, purchase, or lease buses and bus related equipment and to rehabilitate, purchase, construct, or lease bus-related facilities. Provides capital funding for low or no emissions bus projects.

The Buses and Bus Facilities Formula Grant Program provides funding to states and transit agencies through a statutory formula to replace, rehabilitate and purchase buses and related equipment and to construct bus-related facilities. The Buses and Bus Facilities Competitive Grant Program provides funding to states and transit agencies through a competitive process to replace, rehabilitate and purchase buses and related equipment and to construct bus-related facilities. The Low or No Emissions Grant Program provides funding to states and transit agencies through a competitive process for the purchase or lease of zero-emission and low-emission transit buses as well as acquisition, construction, and leasing of required supporting facilities.

Eligible recipients are designated recipients, States (including territories and Washington, DC), local governmental authorities, and Indian tribes. For the Bus Formula and Competitive Programs, eligible recipients must also allocate funds to or operate fixed-route bus service. For the Bus Formula and Competitive Programs, eligible subrecipients also include public agencies and private nonprofit organizations engaged in public transportation.

Beneficiaries of funding include states and designated recipients. After allocation of funds, fixed-route bus operators, the general public, both users and non-users of public transportation, public agencies, and private transportation companies may benefit.

Eligible capital projects include the acquisition of buses for fleet and service expansion, bus maintenance and administrative facilities, transfer facilities, transportation centers, intermodal terminals, park-and-ride stations, acquisition of replacement vehicles, bus rebuilds, passenger amenities such as passenger shelters and bus stop signs, accessory and miscellaneous equipment such as mobile radio units, supervisory vehicles, fare boxes, computers, and shop and garage equipment. Low or No Emissions Program grants may be used to acquire low or no emissions buses and directly related equipment and facilities. Projects must be related to the provision of public transit bus service. Planning and operations projects are not eligible for funding. Both the Buses and Bus Facilities Competitive Program and the Low or No Emission Program are discretionary.

Funds must be obligated in a grant within three years after the year in which funds are appropriated (total of four years). Method of awarding/releasing assistance: Reimbursement of eligible project expenses: Applicant is required to submit a grant application in the Transportation Awards Management System (TrAMS).

For the Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Competitive Program and the Low-No Program the criteria utilized included: Demonstration of Need; Demonstration of Benefits; Project Implementation; Financial Commitment; Technical, Legal, and Financial Capacity; and Planning and Local Prioritization. See the annual Notice of Funding Opportunity for more information.

An FTA grant award obligating Federal funds is reflected in a grant agreement. Grants are awarded electronically using FTA's electronic award management system, TrAMS. In order to access this system, a user name and password are needed and can be obtained by contacting the regional offices. Once the funds are reserved in TrAMS and the project information has been reviewed and approved, the recipient must execute the grant agreement to access the funds.

From the date of the application submittal in FTA's Transit Award Management System (TrAMS) the approximate time of award is 15 to 30 days.