Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Agency of Transportation (AOT) today announced that it has received two new grants through the Federal Transportation Agency (FTA) totaling $12.5 million. These awards will bring nine new e-buses to Vermont and allow for a new building and facility improvements to the Marble Valley Regional Transit District.
“These latest FTA awards reflect Vermont’s dedication to public transit and the electrification of our transit fleet, “said Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn. “We thank the FTA, our public transit providers, and the regional utility companies for taking on these challenges to address our shared goals of decreasing carbon emissions, improving the ridership experience, and reducing our dependence on ever-fluctuating fuel costs.”
The first grant award of $9.2 million is through the FTA’s Low and No Emissions Bus and Bus Facility Grant program and will bring nine new e-buses to Marble Valley Regional Transit District (MVRTD) and Green Mountain Transit (GMT).
Five of these buses will be medium-sized transit vehicles from a new manufacturer, Letenda, located in Longueuil, Quebec.
Letenda has designed and built the e-buses from the ground up and Vermont will be the first recipient of these vehicles in the American market. Funding will also cover charging infrastructure, related facility upgrades, and a mobile charging unit along with driver and maintenance training.
“We are now applying for and obtaining increased funding for more vehicles than ever as we scale-up these electrification efforts,” said Ross MacDonald, Public Transit Manager. “Vermont already has 22 electric buses on the road or in the procurement process, with vehicles deployed throughout the State.”
The second award of $3.3 million is through the FTA’s Bus and Bus Facilities competitive grant program. These funds will be used to construct a new office building for MVRTD in Rutland, replacing its outdated structure from the 1970s. The new facility will improve ADA access for riders and will enable the construction of a pole barn to cover and protect the new e-buses and charging infrastructure.
“These facility improvements are long overdue, and with the permits already in place, we are ready to begin with the construction phase,” said Ken Putnam, Executive Director at MVRTD. “We would like to thank our partners at AOT and the FTA for providing these funds to help us improve working conditions and transit services here in the Rutland region”
These awards mark the fifth year in a row of funding for electric buses and public transit improvements through these FTA’s grant programs.
8.23.2022 Barre, Vt. – Vermont Agency of Transportation vtrans.vermont.gov