According to U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN), the Indianapolis Public Transportation Corp. (IndyGo) was recently awarded a $1.45 million Department of Transportation (DOT) grant, which will be used to expand charging infrastructure for its electric buses.
IndyGo plans to replace all its diesel buses with electric models by 2032. When the transition is complete, IndyGo will have a fleet of 143 buses and 53 rapid transit buses.
“IndyGo provides millions of rides for Hoosiers getting to work, school, or health care services,” Donnelly said. “I’m pleased I was able to help IndyGo secure this federal grant that will help modernize their vehicles and infrastructure. This will help IndyGo become more efficient, and allow them to improve transit times, increase reliability, and ease congestion for Hoosiers in central Indiana.”
The DOT awarded a total of $54.9 billion in grants through the Low or No Emission Vehicle program to 51 projects in 39 states. The program is part of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act.
Applicants had to meet certain requirements. Funds needed to be used for the replacement, rehabilitation, lease or purchase of vehicles, bus-related facilities, or workforce development training.
All but two of the projects were for electric buses. The remaining two were for hydrogen fuel cells.