The Federal Transit Administration is making $212 million available to transit systems in areas affected by federally-declared disasters in 2017, 2020, 2021 and 2022, according to a document published in the Federal Register Monday. Public transportation agencies, local governmental authorities, states, territories, tribes and other FTA grant recipients that fund or provide public transportation are eligible to apply for the Public Transportation Emergency Relief Program.
The money can be used for “emergency operations, emergency protective measures, emergency repairs and permanent repairs,” the notice says. Emergency service operations must be in addition to or different from regular service to be eligible. The funds cannot be used for lost fare revenue or fare cards. The Emergency Relief Program will also help pay for “cost-effective resilience measures” as part of replacement and repair projects.
A complete list of federally-designated disasters is available on the Federal Emergency Management Agency website. These include hurricanes, severe winter storms, floods, earthquakes and wildfires.
The Emergency Relief Program will pay up to 90% of net project costs in most cases, the notice says. Applications are due by May 26. Transit systems that have already been reimbursed for a disaster by FEMA, the FTA, other federal funds or insurance policies may not apply.
