The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is providing $6.5 million in matching funds to help purchase 50 new public transit buses for the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT). This critical investment matches a $25.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Federal Transit Administration (FTA) called the Ladders of Opportunities Initiative.
"These buses will provide vital mobility to citizens of Detroit who rely on public transit to get to work, school, the grocery store or a doctor's appointment," said State Transportation Director Kirk T. Steudle. "Whether it's support for the Regional Transit Authority (RTA), accelerated passenger rail connecting Detroit and Chicago, or the M-1 Rail project, Gov. Rick Snyder and MDOT will continue to support multiple modes of transportation across Michigan."
MDOT funding, from the Comprehensive Transportation Fund (CTF), for this Ladders of Opportunities grant is above and beyond the $15.8 million that have already been committed to the region this year to match federal transit aid. The $15.8 million in the CTF will allow four transit agencies that operate under the umbrella of the new RTA to access their annual formula grants from the USDOT.
However, state revenues to the CTF would have been insufficient for MDOT to match the Ladders of Opportunities grant. It was the addition of general funds to MDOT’s transportation budget in fiscal year 2015 that made it possible for DDOT to successfully compete for this grant.
The 50 new buses will help DDOT bring their fleet into a state of good repair and provide reliable service to the citizens of Detroit.
The USDOT's Ladders of Opportunity Initiative is a $100 million national competitive program to modernize and expand transit bus service with the purpose of connecting disadvantaged and low-income individuals, veterans, seniors and youths, with local workforce training, employment centers and health care services.
