FTA Makes $5B in Transit Funding Available Through Formula Grants

The U.S. Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced that nearly $5 billion in Fiscal Year 2022 transit formula funding is available to transit agencies, states, and Tribal governments to support public transportation — and public transportation jobs — throughout the country. The apportionment tables, which show a breakdown of funding based on statutory formulas, are available here.

“People rely on buses, trains, and ferries to get where they need to be every day,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law makes the largest investment in public transit in history, which means that more Americans will have access to great transportation, our communities will have less traffic congestion, and the air will be cleaner for our children.”

The funds were made available under the Further Extending Government Funding Act, which provides partial-year spending authority through February 18, 2022. The amounts also include funding identified as advance appropriations in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 for the State of Good Repair and the Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities formula programs.

FTA distributes formula funds to state Departments of Transportation, Tribal nations, and urbanized areas. Formula-based grant programs include funding for transit systems in both urbanized and rural areas, grants for buses, and bus facilities — including low- and no-emission buses — transit designed for seniors and people with disabilities, planning funds, and support to improve the condition of transit assets.

Full-year formula funding will be available once Congress passes an FY 2022 appropriations bill. Once enacted, transit funding will be available at the levels proscribed by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law  to support transit in 500 urban communities across the country and rural transit systems nationwide. That’s approximately 35% more funding than previous years, allowing hundreds of transit agencies to buy new buses and railcars, improving reliability, and transit service.

The apportionment tables specify the funding available to the nation’s states, urbanized areas, and Tribal governments through FTA formula programs for the first 4.5 months of FY 2022.

The tables allow transit agencies and grant recipients to view the amounts for programs set by statutorily defined formulas so they can better plan and manage over the long term for new projects and address their repair backlogs.