The Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (TheRide) announced a combined $2.7 million in grant funding from the Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) has been officially obligated. The funding includes $1.013 million for improvements to the Blake Transit Center and $1.697 million to add 10 hybrid buses to TheRide's fleet.  

The total construction cost of the Blake Transit Center renovation is estimated at $5.5 million. Plans include tripling the transit center space from 2,000 to approximately 6,000 square feet to allow for more office space, increased public restroom space and a remote dispatch center. TheRide has received a total of $4.195 million in grant funding to support the project and has submitted a grant application for the remaining costs.

Construction is scheduled to start in spring 2012.

The purchase of 10 hybrid-electric vehicles will increase the number of hybrid buses in TheRide's fleet to 41 out of a total of 78 buses. The grant comes from the Clean Fuels Bus and Bus Facilities Program, which assists Clean Air Act nonattainment and maintenance areas in achieving or maintaining the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone and carbon monoxide and supports emerging clean fuel and advanced propulsion technologies for transit buses and markets for those technologies.