WASHINGTON, D.C. (WRIC) — Virginia senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine announced that $11,549,192 in federal funding will be going toward transit systems in the Commonwealth.
The funding was awarded through the Department of Transportation’s Fiscal Year 2022 Low or Now Emission Vehicle Program. The program is intended to help state and local governments purchase or lease zero-emission and low-emission transit buses, as well as acquire and construct support facilities. According to the senators, the program was made possible by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
According to the senators, the funding is distributed as follows:
- $10,032,000 will go toward the GRTC Transit System to replace natural gas buses that have reached the end of their useful life.
- $952,192 will go toward the GRTC Transit System to construct a vehicle storage facility.
- $565,000 will go toward the City of Suffolk to purchase new electric buses and charging stations.
“Electric and natural gas vehicles offer a clean and affordable alternative to traditional fuel vehicles,” Warner and Kaine said in a statement. “We are glad to see Virginia receive this funding to support the adoption of more energy-efficient vehicles and the needed infrastructure to continue our transition to a transportation system with a significantly lower impact on the environment.”