Phoenix – The Biden administration has announced more than $51 million in grants for low- or no-emission mass transit initiatives in the Phoenix, Tucson, and Flagstaff areas.
Arizona cut It is part of 130 Department of Transportation awards totaling about $1.7 billion from the bipartisan infrastructure bill of 2021.
Valley Metro’s grant is $13.3 million. This will be used for battery electric buses to replace older vehicles, as well as charging equipment to support electric bus operations and worker training in Tempe.
Tucson’s Sun Trang system has received $21.5 million to replace older diesel buses with compressed natural gas vehicles.
Flagstaff’s Mountain Line received $16.4 million to build a facility that will house the system’s bus fleet, improve maintenance and create jobs in zero-emission technology.
“Every day, millions of Americans board more than 60,000 buses to get to work, school, doctor’s appointments and wherever they need to go,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a call with reporters. there is,” he said. “This is an unprecedented level of investment when it comes to putting modern, clean buses on the road.”
Monday’s announcement covers a second round of subsidies for buses and the infrastructure that supports them. In total, the United States has invested a total of $3.3 billion in projects to date. Officials expect about $5 billion in additional benefits over the next three years.
The Biden administration said the new buses would improve public health and be easier to maintain because diesel exhaust wouldn’t be released into the atmosphere.
The government has received 475 project proposals for grants totaling about $8.7 billion, a sign of funding needs.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
