Regional Transportation Commission Of Washoe County

Regional Transportation Commission Of Washoe County, doing business as RTC, is a U.S. local government transit authority and planning commission headquartered in Reno, Nevada that receives federal transit and highway grant funding as a prime recipient but does not hold federal contracts. RTC operates as a public sector entity eligible for direct Federal Transit Administration and Federal Highway Administration grants; the agency does not compete under set-asides, as it is a government entity rather than a for-profit contractor.

RTC's federal footprint is dominated by Department of Transportation funding across two grantor agencies. The Federal Transit Administration has awarded RTC 116 grants supporting capital purchases of transit vehicles (diesel hybrid buses, hydrogen fuel cell electric buses, paratransit vans, FlexRide expansion vans), bus facility infrastructure (lighting, displays, kiosks, fueling stations), fleet maintenance and preventive maintenance operations, and service launch and expansion (Bus Rapid Transit extension along Virginia Street, FlexRide microtransit service in Spanish Springs, Verdi, Somersett, and South Reno). Recent FTA awards include $26.939 million for diesel hybrid bus purchases (July 31, 2026, CFDA 20.526), $10.305 million for six hydrogen fuel cell electric buses and fueling infrastructure (April 21, 2026, CFDA 20.526), $12.73 million for preventive maintenance under the Federal Transit Formula Grants program (July 1, 2025, CFDA 20.507), and $2.68 million for Bus Rapid Transit extension operations (September 19, 2025, CFDA 20.507). The Federal Highway Administration has awarded RTC 24 grants totaling $2 million for "Sixth Street for All" roadway safety implementation (December 4, 2024, CFDA 20.939) and $1.5 million for a comprehensive safety action plan for the Truckee Meadows regional road network (August 26, 2025, CFDA 20.939).

RTC also holds federal grant sub-awards passed through the Nevada Department of Transportation, acting as sub-recipient on highway infrastructure projects including the Sierra Street Bridge replacement (multiple obligations, August 26, 2026), Sparks Boulevard widening and multimodal improvements (multiple sub-awards, April 2025 through August 2025), West Fourth Street safety improvements (August 2025), and Arlington Avenue Bridge replacement (July 2024). These sub-recipient awards are routed through the state transportation agency rather than issued directly to RTC.

Recent activity has grown substantially, from six awards in 2022 to twenty in 2025 and eleven in 2026. Fifteen awards carry ultimate completion dates within the next twenty-four months. RTC operates fixed-route bus service, Bus Rapid Transit service on Virginia Street, and FlexRide curbside-to-curbside microtransit across the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area and Washoe County. The agency has positioned itself as an early adopter of alternative fueled vehicles, with hydrogen fuel cell electric buses representing expansion beyond traditional diesel and battery-electric fleets. All federal grant work is performed in Nevada with no sub-recipient pass-through activity on the majority of direct FTA and FHWA awards to RTC.