The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (RTA) will begin introducing 21 new paratransit vehicles into revenue service. The paratransit vehicles feature the new purple and grey design, which will complement the 41 newest fixed-route buses.

The 21 new paratransit vehicles were funded by a competitive $13M grant award through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) 2020 Bus and Bus Facilities program.

“The new paratransit vehicles introduced today will dramatically improve the reliability of vehicles, on time performance, and comfort for our Paratransit riders.,” said Alex Z. Wiggins, RTA CEO. “The introduction of these 21 new vehicles brings the RTA one step closer to our agency's goal to deliver a fully accessible transit system to New Orleans residents and visitors.”

The RTA was one of 96 projects in 49 states and territories awarded a total of $464 million in FTA 2020 Bus and Bus Facilities program funding to purchase buses, paratransit vehicles and equipment in 2020. The federal competitive grant program provides infrastructure grants to improve the safety and reliability of America’s bus systems. This grant also funded 21 new 35-foot buses, which entered revenue service in 2021.