MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Nearly $17 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation will bring upgrades to the City of Montgomery’s bus system.
Officials say the money will go towards purchasing eight all-electric public transit buses, plus their charging stations.
The funding comes from the USDOT’s Bus and Bus Facilities Grant Program which is a part of the trillion dollar bipartisan infrastructure bill signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021.
The M Transit System’s General Manager Samuel Tensley says the grant couldn’t have come at a better time.
Right now, the system is running on 32 buses on fixed routes, nine paratransits and six micro transit buses. Tensley says this is an exciting time for their drivers and the community.
“From the operator standpoint, I can speak for my operators as well as my mechanics, it would be so great to see them riding in good and new equipment because they’ve been, for so long, riding in older equipment through the city. Breakdowns with no air, sometimes in the cold with no heat,” he said.
Ride numbers are currently higher than pre-COVID numbers. The new buses will also provide new jobs through the transit system.
U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, the only member of Alabama’s congressional delegation who voted in favor of the bill, announced the money Tuesday.
“This is great news for the City of Montgomery! I was so proud to help secure this $16.9 million investment in the M Public Transit System Electric Bus Program, and I know that it will go a long way toward improving travel for commuters,” Sewell said in a press release. “I applaud Secretary Buttigieg and the entire Biden-Harris Administration for utilizing transportation as another tool to help us build a more sustainable future.”
In a statement released through Sewell’s office, Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed called the grant a “significant milestone” for the community and thanked federal agencies.
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Federal grant to bring electric buses to Montgomery’s transit system - WSFA
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