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    1. Bus

    FY19 Low-No Bus Grant recipients begin to emerge

    July 24, 2019
    FTA had $85 million available for the Low-No Bus Program grants in FY19.
    Low No New Flyer Zero Emission Bus Credit Fta 5d3870c438be0

    Congressional representatives are taking to social media and issuing releases that their districts have secured a Low or No Emission (Low-No) Bus Program grant through the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).  

    FTA issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity in March for the $85 million it was allocated for the program in Fiscal Year 19. The Low-No Program helps project sponsors purchase or lease low or no emission vehicles that use advanced technologies for transit revenue operations, including related equipment or facilities.

    Nine grants totaling more than $20 million have been announced, which is only slightly more than 23 percent of the available funding.

    The known grant recipients include:

    • $1.7 million to Alabama A&M University, Huntsville, Ala.
    • $1.96 million to Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority in the Orlando, Fla., area
    • $2.1 million to Tahoe Transportation District, serving the Lake Tahoe area
    • $2.21 million to TriMet in Portland, Ore.
    • $2.2 million to Prince George’s County in Maryland
    • $2.2 million to King County, Wash.
    • $2.5 million to the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, Buffalo, NY
    • $2.6 million to the city of Tucson, Ariz., to five zero-emission buses
    • $2.6 million to Capital Metro in Austin, Texas

    FTA is expected to formally contact grant recipients later this week before issuing its official announcement of the grant recipients.

    The Low-No Bus Program has grown in interest and funding allocations have steadily increased. It was only four years ago, in FY15, when the program was allocated $22.5 million. The U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of a “minibus” appropriations bill for FY20 that included a $6 million increase for the Low-No Bus Program.

    About the Author

    Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director

    Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.

    Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.

    She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.  

    She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.