The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced a total of $15.8 million in Federal funding allocations to support 37 transit projects during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

The Public Transportation COVID-19 Research Demonstration Program will help invest in and promote promising, innovative solutions that address the challenges transit agencies are facing during the public health emergency. Selected projects include solutions such as implementing new cleaning and disinfecting protocols, contactless payment systems, and modernized data collection and reporting on ridership, vehicle capacity and other factors to improve operations.

“These additional resources will provide transit agencies and the states with the additional resources to strengthen public confidence in transit, which remains among the safest modes of travel during the public health emergency,” said FTA Deputy Administrator K. Jane Williams. “Our support will help leverage new technologies that will improve safety and efficiency throughout our transit systems.”

Among the projects selected to receive funding:

• The Nashville Public Transportation Authority will receive $585,000 to create an app that provides historic, real-time, and predictive information about bus capacity, enabling the agency and riders to make informed decisions that improve operations, safety, and the rider experience.

• The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) will receive $508,200 to expand its fare software to include E-vouchers that will allow contactless payments with UTA mobile fares as well as transportation network companies. The project will add a web portal and mobile app, providing more options for trip planning.

• The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority will receive $167,603 to deploy an on-demand microtransit service to improve transportation options for essential workers in the Cypress Creek area.

FTA received 104 eligible proposals, totaling approximately $63 million in funding requests from 36 states and territories. Project proposals were evaluated based on criteria outlined in the COVID-19 Research Demonstration Program Notice of Funding Opportunity.