The Texas Transportation Commission recently approved an $89 million in transit funding, representing the largest transit agency funding initiative at one time.
Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) officials noted that $54 million of the funding is sourced from the federal government while the state accounts for $35 million. Additionally, officials noted more than $10 million is sourced under the federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act to help transit agencies manage the impacts of COVID-19.
“When most services shut down during the pandemic, these transit agencies continued serving thousands of Texans across the state,” TxDOT Executive Director Marc Williams said. “In a time when they were needed most, these agencies helped people get to jobs, groceries, or the medical care they needed. This additional funding will continue to improve access for Texans, enabling TxDOT to fulfill our mission of ‘Connecting You with Texas.’”
The funding is slated to support rural and urban transit services covering 96 percent of the state’s land area, serving 41 percent of the state’s population.
“During the pandemic, we saw how important these transit agencies are for many Texans, especially in the more rural regions of the state,” Texas Transportation Commissioner Alvin New said. “Transit can be a lifeline for many people, and I’m happy to see this amount of funding go to these communities.”