The Federal Transportation Administration has awarded $6 million in grants to VIA Metropolitan Transit to pay for improvements to facilities and to extend the agency's bus rapid transit line.
VIA was awarded $3 million under the State of Good Repair Program to be used for a number of projects to improve and renovate the agency's facilities. These projects will extend the usefulness of parts of VIA's maintenance facility, bus yard and main campus and headquarters. Another $3 million grant was awarded under the Bus Livability Program to pay for an extension of the VIA Prímo bus rapid transit line into Leon Valley.
"These funds will go a long way toward increasing our sustainability by extending the life spans of our equipment and allowing us to expand service," said VIA President/CEO Keith T. Parker, AICP. "When we make better use of our facilities for longer periods of time, these efficiencies can be put back into the system, and we can deliver better service to the members of our community."
The purpose of the State of Good Repair Program and the Bus Livability Program is to make funds available to public transit agencies to pay for such improvements as the replacement, rehabilitation and purchase of buses and equipment. Funds are also available for the construction and rehabilitation of bus-related facilities, the installation of bus-related equipment, and the commencement of studies to help communities select the best transit options.
