The Transport Project (TTP) says that over $105 million has been awarded by the Biden administration to compressed natural gas (CNG) transit bus projects across the U.S. Another $238 million went to transit agencies for hydrogen bus and related infrastructure projects.
This funding is part of a larger announcement made recently by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Low- and No-Emission Grant Award and Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities competitive programs for fiscal year 2024.
Among the CNG bus awards, Sun Metro Transit in El Paso, Texas, will receive $30.6 million; the Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority (LYNX) in Orlando, Florida, will receive $27.6 million; the Sangamon Mass Transit District in Illinois will receive $8.9 million; Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority (CCRTA) in Texas will receive $5.88 million; the City of Greeley, Colorado, will receive $3.5 million; and the University of New Hampshire will receive $2.7 million to replace diesel-powered buses with CNG buses for its Wildcat Transit service. The funding is for new CNG buses, fueling infrastructure and associated maintenance facility improvements.
Funding natural gas transit maximizes the opportunity to deploy more transit buses, thereby increasing ridership opportunities and accelerating the retirement of older, more-polluting buses. Natural gas buses outperform battery electric counterparts on these major assessment marks:
- Natural gas buses are less costly to purchase, maintain and operate.
- Natural gas refueling infrastructure is more affordable, efficient and convenient for transit operators.
- Natural gas buses are more reliable and require fewer days out of service in need of repair, with no compromise on duty or performance in any terrain or weather.
- Natural gas buses offer the most cost-effective emission reduction investment; operators can affordably achieve carbon-negative transit now by refueling with renewable natural gas (RNG).
The Low-No Program in recent years has proved to be an important factor in assisting transit agencies in upgrading their bus fleets to deploy cleaner, less-polluting buses. With the Biden administration’s added prioritization of addressing climate change and associated environmental justice concerns, the rapid and widespread deployment of affordable and impactful buses must include every qualifying technology commercially available.
Before 2021, FTA did not fully consider low-emission natural gas transit bus applications in the competitive Low-No Grant Program. Through its advocacy work, TTP secured language in two fiscal year conference agreements that “directs the FTA to implement 49 U.S.C. 5339(c) in a manner that encourages a variety of different fuel types and considers procurements that reduce an agency’s overall greenhouse gas emissions.”
As a result, FTA began awarding funding to municipalities and transit agencies interested in growing their natural gas transit programs and replacing older CNG buses.
Access a list of FY 2024 recipients and projects with listed CNG and hydrogen investments here.
