DOT provides $776 million for bus projects

The Transportation Department will spend $776 million to improve buses and facilities in 45 states and Washington, D.C. 

The funding will be directed to 152 projects from the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) new State of Good Repair discretionary grant program, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced Monday. 

The FTA estimates that more than 40 percent of the nation’s buses are currently in poor to marginal condition. 

A June DOT report showed that the cost of updating and repairing the nation's rail and bus system would cost approximately $78 billion, according to data from 43 of the nation’s rail and bus operators in rural and urban areas. 

"America's transit users want bus service that is safe, reliable, comfortable and clean," FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff said today in a release. "These funds will go a long way in helping more than 100 urban and rural transit agencies deliver the high quality bus service that Americans deserve."

Projects include replacing aging buses with fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles, constructing new bus shelters and installing fleet tracking systems.

"Safety is our highest priority, and it goes hand-in-hand with making sure our transit systems are in the best working condition possible," LaHood said.  

FTA reviewed nearly 400 project applications representing $4.2 billion in funding requests from transit providers across the country.