MnDOT awarded $8.5 million in federal grants for rural bus replacement, facility upgrades
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Federal Transportation Administration recently awarded the Minnesota Department of Transportation $8.5 million dollars through two grants which will help three rural Minnesota transit providers upgrade their vehicle fleets and infrastructure.
The grants come from the federal “Low and No Emissions” and “Bus and Bus Facilities” programs, and the money is part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. MnDOT applied for the funding on behalf of three rural transit agencies in Minnesota: United Community Action Partnership Community Transit, Friendly Rider Transit and SMART Transit. MnDOT manages the federal funding of rural Minnesota transit programs.
“Many people in rural areas rely on transit, and these projects will improve service while reducing emissions,” said Sarah Ghandour, director, Office of Transit and Active Transportation. “We chose these projects based the needs of our local partners, their willingness to participate in the application, and, finally, the extent to which the proposed projects meet the criteria of the competitive grants.”
The Low or No Emissions Grant will help two rural transit providers upgrade their vehicle fleets and infrastructure:
- United Community Action Partnership’s Community Transit will replace six gas-powered buses with six propane-fueled buses. These buses, and propane fueling tank, will be based in Marshall. UCAP provides rural public transit for eight counties in southwest Minnesota (Lincoln, Lyon, Redwood, Pipestone, Murray, Cottonwood, Jackson and Rock).
- Friendly Rider Transit will replace three gas- and diesel-powered transit buses with three propane-fueled buses and a propane fueling tank at its Wadena Transit Facility. Friendly Rider serves Wadena County in Central Minnesota.
The FTA grants will cover $2.3 million of the projects estimated $2.8 million total cost, with the remaining funds coming from state transit funds.
The Bus and Bus Facilities Grant will allow Cedar Valley Services, Inc. (SMART Transit), to build two state-of-the-art transit facilities in the cities of Austin and Waseca. The new facilities will enhance operational efficiency for the entire SMART Transit system, providing safer, more reliable transit for local communities. These facilities will incorporate energy saving efficiencies in design and will include solar photovoltaic (PV) panels for a cost-effective form of renewable energy, facilitating the future transition to a zero-emission transit fleet in the future.
The Federal Transportation Administration grants will cover $6.3 million of the projects estimated $7.8 million total cost, with the remaining dollars coming from state transit funds.
Once the grant funding is in place, MnDOT will submit a detailed scope of work and budget to the FTA. The new buses and infrastructure could be in place within the next one to two years.
###