Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced Tuesday that his state had been awarded more than $3 million in funding from the Federal Transit Administration to purchase public transit vehicles.
The funding comes from a competitive grant program that the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Office of Transportation Delivery applied for
Ten agencies across the state will use the money to buy 42 replacement vehicles and 20 other vehicles to expand their fleets.
“Reliable transportation is essential to so much we do in our daily lives,” Beshear said. “For many of our fellow Kentuckians, that means public transportation. It’s how they get to work, or school, or health care appointments, or the grocery and a host of other places. This funding is an investment on their behalf.”
Kentucky Transportation Secretary Jim Gray said the funding comes at a critical time during the COVID-19 pandemic that has seen public transit agencies lose riders and revenue.
“These agencies have been struggling financially, and this funding will help them maintain a dependable fleet,” Secretary Gray said.
The money will be given to large urban entities, as well as to rural transit organizations.
Among the awards is $668,935 for Blue Grass Community Action Partnership, which covers Anderson, Boyle, Casey, Franklin, Garrard, Jessamine, Lincoln, Mercer, Scott, Washington, and Woodford counties in central Kentucky. The money will be used to purchase five replacement vehicles and five expansion vehicles.
In rural Kentucky, the Rural Transit Enterprises Coordinated, Inc., which serves the counties of Adair, Bell, Clinton, Cumberland, Green, Knox, Laurel, McCreary, Monroe, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Russell, Taylor, Wayne, and Whitley, nearly $130,000 was awarded to purchase two replacement vehicles.