Pandemic-Response Grants Awarded to SFMTA, Houston Metro
Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
Houston Metro will receive $298.6 million in ARP grants for COVID-19 response from the FTA. (Houston Metro photo)
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is awarding American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021 grants for COVID-19 response to San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA, $288.2 million) and Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Houston Metro, $298.6 million).
The grants for SFMTA and Houston Metro are part of more than $30 billion for public transportation in the ARP Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law on March 11. The funding—intended to help transit agencies maintain service and jobs as communities continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic—comes from the $26.6 billion allocated by statutory formulas to urban and rural areas, and tribal governments, and for the enhanced mobility of seniors and individuals with disabilities, according to FTA. The Act also included $2.2 billion for additional transit pandemic-associated need, which will be awarded later this year, FTA added. No local share is required for this funding.
“As our nation’s transit systems recover from COVID-19, the American Rescue Plan funds ensure that they continue to provide service to the many Americans who depend on transit to get to essential jobs, healthcare and vaccine appointments,” FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez said.
“This funding from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan will help protect transit employees from layoffs, keep transit service running, and ensure people can get where they need to go,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said.
