The American Public Transportation Association has lauded the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration for allocating $277.5 million for emergency relief funding for public transportation services in Puerto Rico, Florida, Texas, Georgia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
"This funding by the federal government demonstrates the importance of public transit during emergency evacuations and the critical role public transit played in helping communities recover from hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria," said APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas.
"We thank U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao and FTA Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams for their leadership and focus in the midst of the hurricanes and their continuing efforts helping communities recover and prepare for future emergencies."
According to DOT, each state or territory will be able to use the grant funding for several major categories, such as emergency operations, damages to transit vehicles and infrastructure, and the cost of resiliency projects to better protect against future disasters.
