Hillsborough to upgrade buses with $32 million in federal funds

The Hillsborough Transit Authority secured more than $32 million in federal funding to upgrade its fleet of aging buses, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, announced Thursday. 

The award comes from the Federal Transit Administration’s Low or No Emission Program and is among 150 given to agencies nationwide. HART’s appropriation is the largest in the state, which received a total of $76.2 million in grants for buses and bus facilities, according to a release. 

The funding is enough for HART to replace 33 of its outdated diesel-fueled buses, averaging 688,000 miles each, with low-emission buses that run on compressed natural gas, the release states. The agency will also expand its vocational training program for fleet technicians and establish a registered apprenticeship program with the money. 

The new investment is the largest federal grant HART has ever received and puts it on track to become Florida’s first 100% low-emissions CNG bus fleet, the agency says. 

The funding will also reduce the agency’s annual maintenance costs by more than $1 million and helps advance its mission to “improve reliability, on-time performance and reduce service interruptions.”

“Today’s announcement represents a major step forward for reliable transit in Hillsborough County,” HART CEO Scott Drainville says in the release. “This investment will help us improve service for riders, strengthen our workforce pipeline, and continue transitioning our fleet to cleaner, low-emission technology.”

Two other Tampa Bay agencies received funding through the FTA’s program, the release states — one in Pinellas, one in Polk. 

The Pinellas Suncoast Transit authority was awarded $6.58 million to replace its diesel-powered generator with a newer model that can maintain charging power for electric buses and keep transit operations running in the event of a power outage. The Lakeland Area Mass Transit District also received an award of $1.1 million to refurbish its Citrus Connections maintenance facility, according to the FTA. 

The new funds are among a series of recent infrastructure grants awarded to Tampa Bay agencies this year, which include another $23 million award to HART to update its maintenance facility and a $62 million grant to Tampa International Airport to build out its new Airside D terminal.

“By modernizing public transit and improving mobility across our growing community, we are opening doors to new job opportunities, strengthening local businesses and improving the quality of life for Tampa Bay area families,” Castor says in the release.