PA: SEPTA won $43 million for diesel-electric hybrid buses from the Trump administration
Since taking office for his second term, President Donald Trump has moved to cancel tax incentives and spending for clean-energy technology and prioritized expanded production of oil and natural gas.
But the federal government apparently is not 100% out of the green fuels business.
Last week, SEPTA won a $43 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration to replace 35 diesel-powered 30-foot buses with an equal number of cleaner diesel-electric hybrid that are 32 feet long.
The money comes from the FTA's Bus Low- and No-Emission grant program.
When the new buses are delivered, expected in 2028, SEPTA no longer will have any diesel-burning buses left in its fleet.
Most SEPTA buses are 40 feet long or 60-foot articulated models (the ones with the accordion in the middle). The shorter hybrids will be used on LUCY Loop in University City and Routes 310, 311, 312, and Route 204, which runs from Eagleville to Paoli Station.
"These new hybrid buses will increase operational efficiency and help ensure that SEPTA can continue to provide reliable service for customers," General Manager Scott Sauer said.
SEPTA applied for the grant in July, a spokesperson said.
"This is a major win for Philadelphia," U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle of Philadelphia said. "These new hybrid buses will mean more reliable service, a stronger transit system, and cleaner air for the hundreds of thousands of riders who depend on SEPTA every day."
Boyle said the money came from President Joe Biden's bipartisan infrastructure law, which Boyle helped champion. The grants were given from the fiscal year 2025 federal budget.
"Delivering new-and-improved bus infrastructure is yet another example of how America is building again under President Trump," U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in a statement. "More people travel by bus than any other form of public transportation."
SEPTA's grant was part of $1.1 billion distributed from the fiscal year 2025 federal budget. DOT said in the announcement that $518 million would be added to the low- and no-emission bus grant program from the fiscal 2026 budget.
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