The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced Monday a total of $30.5 billion in federal funding would be available for the nation’s public transportation systems to help them respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan, the money includes $26.6 billion to be allocated by statutory formulas to urban and rural areas, tribal governments, and for the enhanced mobility of seniors and the disabled. Another $2.2 billion in FTA grants would go to communities that demonstrate they have additional pandemic-associated needs. Funds would be directed primarily to operations and payroll costs and will be made available without requiring the community to provide matching funds.
