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ARRA funds for transit

The Council is receiving $70.4 million in ARRA funds through the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for metro area transit projects. Thus far, the Council has obligated $51.4 million for:

• 31 standard, 30 hybrid and 29 articulated bus replacements for the Metro Transit fleet ($49.5 million)
• 15 hybrid and 1 standard bus replacements for the Metro Mobility fleet ($1.9 million)
• eligible preventive maintenance costs included in the transit operating budget ($17.7 million)
• up to 5 full-time police officers for three years to help support a Metro Transit anti-terrorism and crime suppression unit ($1.3 million)

 

In addition to the $70.4 million in ARRA funds, the Council’s Metro Mobility service for people with disabilities applied for and was awarded an additional $1.1 million for gas hybrid electric vehicles to replace diesel vehicles in the existing fleet.  The grant was awarded through the 2009 Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) program that promotes green technologies.

And, the Council and region benefitted from ARRA funds appropriated to the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT). The Council applied for and was awarded $1.6 million to purchase 22 small and medium-sized buses for dial-a-ride service (Transit Link) in the region.