To help rural transit providers that have seen drops in ridership and revenues due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Arizona DOT (ADOT) has submitted a grant application to make $35.7 million in emergency federal funding available for operating expenses and other pressing needs.
The recently passed federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act includes $25 billion for public transportation through the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), including $2.2 billion for programs serving rural areas. This funding will support operating and capital expenses, planning, and expenses related to preparing for, preventing, and responding to COVID-19.
According to the department, ADOT Transit, part of the agency’s Multimodal Planning Division, assists public transportation providers in Greater Arizona by administering Section 5311 Formula Grants for Rural Areas.
ADOT will administer the $35.7 million, which is allocated to the agency under the CARES Act, for 22 public transit providers serving rural Arizona. An additional $6 million will be transferred as direct federal funding to five tribal communities. No local matching funds are required to receive this federal funding.
Emergency funding under the federal CARES Act also is directly available to public transportation agencies for which ADOT does not administer transit grants: large urban areas, small urban areas, and tribes receiving direct funding through the FTA’s Tribal Transportation Program.
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SOURCE: Arizona DOT
