IA: SRTS receives $9.7 million grant for Sioux City, Le Mars expansion

Siouxland Regional Transit System has received a $9.7 million grant to expand its facilities and enable it to house more of its buses indoors.

Using the Low or No Emission grant through the Iowa Department of Transportation from the Federal Transit Administration, SRTS plans to expand its indoor bus facility in Sioux City, which currently has stalls for 15 buses, and build a new facility in Le Mars, Iowa, with 16 bus stalls. Seven buses are currently parked outdoors there at the Le Mars Police Department.

The grant also includes funding for the addition of two alternative-fueled buses with charging infrastructure. Currently operating 47 transit vehicles, SRTS will expand its fleet to 53 vehicles once the project is finished.

When SRTS moved into the Sioux City facility along with Siouxland Interstate Metropolitan Planning Council, or SIMPCO, at 6401 Gordon Drive just east of the city and along U.S. Highway 20 in September 2023, it marked the first time SRTS had indoor bus parking. However, the 15 stalls were half of what was called for in the original plans, which had to be scaled back when construction estimates came in too high. As a result, half of SRTS’ Sioux City fleet remains parked outside.

SRTS is a separate SIMPCO entity that provides public transportation services to Woodbury, Plymouth, Monona, Ida and Cherokee counties in Iowa, Dakota County in Nebraska and southern Union County in South Dakota.

Brian Pearson, facility director/transit director for SIMPCO, said in January after submitting grant applications that parking the buses indoors provides a number of benefits.

Protecting buses from the elements can reduce maintenance costs and prolong each vehicle’s useful life, delaying the purchase of new buses, which have risen in price and can take up to 36 months for delivery.

Indoor parking also improves convenience and safety for drivers, who must inspect buses before and after each trip. Pearson said improved conditions could help recruit new drivers and alleviate the driver shortage SRTS is experiencing.

The grant includes funding to add office and conference space at the Sioux City office.

Pearson said in January that construction of the Sioux City expansion could begin in June 2027 and finish by December 2028. Construction in Le Mars could start by December 2027 be completed by December 2028. As of January, a location for the facility in Le Mars had not been chosen.

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