VRT receives $17.4 million Low or No Emission Vehicle Program federal grant

VRT was awarded a $17.4 million competitive federal grant to purchase electric buses and charging infrastructure, it was announced Tuesday (August 16).

The grant monies will be used to purchase eight electric buses and the charging infrastructure needed to keep them on the road. VRT currently has 12 electric buses in its fleet.

“Competitive federal grants are an essential part of our funding strategy as we work toward a more sustainable transit system, and we are thrilled with the award,” said VRT’s Executive Director, Kelli Badesheim.

The federal bus grant awards – made under the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Low or No Emission Vehicle Program – are among the FTA’s first competitive grant selections under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. A total of $1.66 billion in grants were awarded under the two programs.

“With today’s awards, we’re helping communities across America … purchase more than 1,800 new buses, and most of them are zero-emission,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Peter Buttigieg. “Funded through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this announcement means more good jobs for people across our country, cleaner air in our communities, and more affordable and reliable options to help people get to where they need to go.”

The grant will support a $20 million local project that will provide eight additional battery electric buses and four electric depot chargers, along with the necessary workforce training and development.

The required $2.6 million in local matching funds include VRT funding, contributions from the city of Boise, and possibly compressed natural gas fuel tax rebates.

The FTA awarded $3 million to VRT in August 2019 towards the purchase of VRT’s first battery-electric buses. In March 2022, VRT received $1.92 million to purchase three 35-foot electric buses, which are in the process of being ordered.

The Low or No Emission Vehicle Program grant is the second major competitive federal grant award announced by VRT in the past week. On Thursday, VRT was notified that it had received an $8.5 million federal RAISE grant for improvements to the State Street corridor in Boise. That project will include upgraded and accessible bus stations, on-route electric bus charging, real-time bus arrival displays, ticketing machines, improved lighting, a multi-use path, improved wheelchair access and infrastructure, and additional street crossings for bicycles and pedestrians.