Passenger Bus, Rail and Motorcoach Industry News

Giving funds to firms that already have open contracts with the agency as part of its superstorm Sandy “Disaster Recovery Program.”

Asking member cities of the Regional Transportation Council for the funds to buy up to nine sets of commuter railcars for a commuter rail line from Fort Worth to the Dallas Fort Worth Airport.

Massachusetts House lawmakers approved a bailout bill, which, if approved by the state Senate, would transfer to the agency $49 million from a state fund.

Proposed route is designed to ease commutes on the congested corridor between South Jersey and Philadelphia. The route could be up and running by 2020.

The Ohio Department of Transportation’s new Ohio Transit Preservation Partnership Program will enable the agency to buy five of these vehicles, which have advanced thermal cooling systems that provide a cost savings of $2,000 a year in fuel savings and improved operational performance per bus.

Nearly 80 projects will upgrade transit service, purchase eco-friendly buses, modernize transit stations and create jobs throughout California. The grants are funded through transportation bond Proposition 1B.

Even a possible sales tax increase next year will not be enough to fund a $6 billion wish list of transportation projects. However, an increase in the portion of Atlanta sales tax that can be used for transit funding may help.