DDOT to receive $6.9 million as part of Infrastructure Law Funding for Clean Transit Buses
DDOT to receive $6.9 million as part of Infrastructure Law Funding for Clean Transit Buses
- DDOT to receive $6.9 million in FTA funding for electric buses
- Four electric buses and charging equipment will be purchased with funding
- Grant will double DDOT’s total electric fleet from four to eight buses
Detroit, MI – The Detroit Department of Transportation will receive Federal Transit Administration funding to buy four battery electric buses and charging equipment, the FTA announced earlier this week.
The $6.9 million will be used to purchase two 40-foot and two articulated 60-foot buses from manufacturer New Flyer, said DDOT Executive Director of Transit Mikel Oglesby. Funds will also be used to purchase and install charging equipment for the new buses.
The purchase will double DDOT’s electric fleet from four to eight, as DDOT brought into service earlier this year four electric buses from manufacturer Proterra. The FTA funding allows DDOT to test which buses are best suited for Detroit’s climate, charging conditions, and other real-world factors before a larger-scale investment is made in electric technology, Oglesby said.
“This funding allows DDOT an excellent opportunity to get information and user feedback as to which electric bus is best for Detroit’s riders,” Oglesby said. “We’re excited about this chance to make the smartest, greenest investment possible, which will benefit not only DDOT’s riders but the entire city of Detroit.”
In an additional effort to make the transit system as environmentally friendly as possible, DDOT recently launched 28 new clean diesel buses and decommissioned 28 of its oldest models. This makes DDOT’s fleet the youngest and greenest it has been in years.
The funding supports the state's plan to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, according to an FTA statement (LINK: https://www.transit.dot.gov/1800buses). Greenhouse gases and their effect on the environment disproportionately impact the historically disadvantaged communities that DDOT serves.
In response to the Notice of Funding Opportunity, FTA received 530 eligible project proposals totaling approximately $7.72 billion in requests. $1.66 billion in total was awarded to transit agencies, territories, and states across the country to invest in 150 bus fleets and facilities. Funded by President Joe Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, more than 1,100 of those vehicles will use zero-emissions technology, which reduces air pollution and helps meet the President's goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. This year's funding alone will nearly double the number of no-emission transit buses on America's roadways.
FTA's Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program, of which DDOT’s grant is a part, supports transit agencies in buying and rehabilitating buses and vans and building bus maintenance facilities. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides nearly $2 billion over five years for the program. For Fiscal Year 2022, approximately $550 million for grants was available under this program.
