The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is awarding $288.2 million of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and $298.6 million to the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (Houston METRO). The funds are intended to help transit agencies maintain service and jobs as communities continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Public transportation has been a lifeline for communities and the American people throughout this pandemic,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “This funding from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan will help protect transit employees from layoffs, keep transit service running, and ensure people can get where they need to go.”

The funding is part of more than $30 billion for public transportation in the American Rescue Plan Act which was signed into law by President Biden on March 11 of this year. The funding comes from the $26.6 billion allocated by statutory formulas to urban and rural areas, tribal governments, and for the enhanced mobility of seniors and individuals with disabilities. The Act also included $2.2 billion for additional transit pandemic-associated need, which will be awarded later this year. No local share is required for this funding.