Federal Transit Administration Directs $380 Million for Zero-Emission Bus Rapid Transit Corridors

WASHINGTON — Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Administrator Nuria Fernandez announced on Monday the distribution of $380 million in federal competitive grants to deploy 350 heavy-duty battery-electric articulated buses, construct dedicated center-running bus lanes, and install high-power megawatt depot charging hubs across fourteen mid-sized transit systems in twelve states.

The awards, funded through the FTA's Low or No Emission Grant Program and the Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program, target fast-growing metropolitan transit systems in cities including Albuquerque, Grand Rapids, Richmond, Spokane, and Tucson.

Transforming Bus Lines into High-Speed Transit Corridors Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems utilize dedicated roadway lanes, off-board fare payment kiosks, and automated traffic signal priority to provide transit speeds and passenger capacities comparable to light rail systems at a fraction of the capital construction cost and timeline.

Key components of the $380 million federal allocation include:

• 350 American-Made Battery-Electric Buses: Zero-emission 60-foot articulated buses featuring high-energy density nickel-manganese-cobalt battery packs manufactured under strict Buy America standards.
• 65 Miles of Transit Priority Lanes: Red-painted center lanes and signal pre-emption hardware allowing buses to bypass highway and arterial traffic gridlock.
• Depot Microgrids and Resilient Charging: 150-kW to 450-kW fast-charging overhead pantographs paired with stationary battery energy storage systems to avoid local utility demand surcharges during peak evening hours.

"Public transportation is about freedom—the freedom to get to work, school, healthcare, and community life reliably and affordably," Secretary Pete Buttigieg said during the announcement. "With these awards, we are modernizing transit across America's mid-sized cities, delivering modern, quiet, zero-emission buses that run on dedicated lanes so riders spend less time sitting in traffic and more time doing what matters to them."

Transit labor unions, urban planning associations, and environmental justice coalitions praised the awards, pointing out that electrifying heavily trafficked transit routes substantially reduces diesel particulate exposure in dense residential neighborhoods.