Kentucky has received $8.5 million in transportation funding via the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust to replace about 170 buses and support sustainable transportation expansion.
The funding allotment is part of the $20.3 million awarded to the state under the Trust guidelines, of which $100 million was secured by then-Attorney General and current Gov. Andy Beshear, after filing suit against the automaker for deceiving Kentucky consumers.
“We held Volkswagen accountable for deceiving consumers, and now we are using those funds to build a better Kentucky with safe, reliable transportation to help Kentuckians get to work, to the doctor, and to the grocery store,” Beshear said. “This funding will reduce pollution to create cleaner air and improve transportation options in four regions of the commonwealth.”
Among the awards, Transit Authority of River City (TARC) in Jefferson County will receive $4.7 million to replace 45 older buses with cleaner, more fuel-efficient buses; Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK) will receive $2.1 million to replace six older diesel buses with new diesel buses; and Lextran, in Lexington, will receive $1.5 million to replace six older diesel buses with four new natural gas and two all-electric buses.
Transportation Cabinet Secretary Jim Gray said using the funds to purchase cleaner-emission transit buses serves a dual role.
“Reduced emissions mean improved air quality, which is a health benefit for everyone,” he said. “And the upgrading of transit vehicles means better service to our fellow Kentuckians who rely on public transportation for getting to work, school, doctor appointments, shopping, and other places they have to go in the course of their daily lives.”