U.S. Department of Transportation: Low or No Emission Bus Program

The Low or No Emission Bus Program (Low-No Program) provides funding for the purchase or lease of zero-emission and low-emission transit buses, including acquisition, construction, and leasing of required supporting facilities such as recharging, refueling, and maintenance facilities. A significant transformation is occurring in the transit bus industry, with the increasing availability of low and zero emission bus vehicles for transit revenue operations.

Eligible project areas include: (1) purchasing or leasing low or no emission buses; (2) acquiring low or no emission buses with a leased power source; (3) constructing or leasing facilities and related equipment for low or no emission buses; (4) constructing new public transportation facilities to accommodate low or no emission buses; or (5) rehabilitating or improving existing public transportation facilities to accommodate low or no emission buses. Funding will only be considered for projects relating to the acquisition or leasing of low or no emission buses or bus facilities that make greater reductions in energy consumption and harmful emissions than comparable standard buses or other low or no emission buses. All proposed projects must be part of the intended recipient’s long-term integrated fleet management plan.

Amount: A total of $55,000,000 is available. There is no minimum or maximum grant award amount; however, the competition intends to fund as many meritorious projects as possible. The maximum federal participation in the costs of leasing or acquiring a transit bus financed under the Low-No Program is 85 percent of the total transit bus cost. The proposer may request a lower Federal contribution. Further, the maximum federal participation in the cost of leasing or acquiring low or no emission bus-related equipment and facilities under the Low-No Program, such as recharging or refueling facilities, is 90 percent of the net project cost of the equipment or facilities that are attributable to compliance with the Clean Air Act.

Eligibility: Designated recipients of Federal Transit Authority (FTA) grants, states, local governmental authorities, and Indian tribes. Except for projects proposed by Indian tribes, proposals for funding projects in rural (non-urbanized) areas must be submitted as part of a consolidated state proposal.

Link: http://bit.ly/2ppHpQp

Note: An informational webinar will be held on May 11, 2017.

This post was filed under: