The City of Billings has recently purchased 17 new buses for its public transit system. Relying primarily on funding from grants the city spent $6.2 million for the new buses which have better gas mileage, are equipped with 360-degree cameras and WiFi, and will be less costly to maintain.
The City of Billings Metropolitan Transit System has announced that it will be receiving $3 million in funding through the Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Grant Program, through the US Department of Transportation (DOT).
The award is part of a $409.3 million in grants that the DOT’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is disbursing to 70 projects in 39 states, aimed at modernizing and electrifying buses and bus systems. The grants will help dozens of communities buy new-technology and electric buses, which are expected to reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions and promote cleaner air.
FTA received more than $2.5 billion in funding requests. Under the Infrastructure Law, an additional $5.1 billion in formula and competitive grant funding is authorized under the Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program over the next five years.
