The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced Tuesday that it would provide $15.8 million in funding to 37 projects that support transit agencies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The projects support strategies that improve transit agencies’ operational efficiency and enhance rider mobility during the public health emergency, the FTA said.
“These additional resources will provide transit agencies and the states with the additional resources to strengthen public confidence in transit, which remains among the safest modes of travel during the public health emergency,” said FTA Deputy Administrator K. Jane Williams. “Our support will help leverage new technologies that will improve safety and efficiency throughout our transit systems.”
As part of the Public Transportation COVID-19 Research Demonstration Program, the grants will invest in new solutions that address the challenges transit agencies face during the pandemic, including implementing new cleaning and disinfecting protocols, contactless payment systems, and modernized data collection.
Among the grant awards are $585,000 to Nashville Public Transportation Authority to create an app that will provide real-time information about bus capacity, which will enable the agency and riders to make informed decisions on operations, safety, and rider experience; $508,200 to the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) to expand its fare software to include E-vouchers that will allow contactless payments; and $167,603 to the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority for an on-demand microtransit service to improve transportation options for essential workers in the Cypress Creek area.
The projects funded were selected from more than 100 eligible proposals totaling nearly $63 million.