The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority is ready to ramp up its fleet of Metro Buses following an announcement Wednesday that nearly $29 million in federal funding has been awarded to the multimodal agency that will allow it to purchase 20 new electric buses and expand its charging infrastructure.
The funding is made possible through a competitive grant provided under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Low or No Emission Grant Program, and is a direct result of federal transportation funding increases that were secured in the 2023 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, who joined Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Brian Higgins Wednesday in announcing the funding, said the NFTA’s upgraded fleet will offer Western New Yorkers a cleaner commute while fueling the fight against climate change.
The new 40-foot-long electric buses will replace the NFTA’s current 2006 and 2007 Gillig series diesel-powered transit buses. Plans also call for upgrading the bus charging infrastructure at the NFTA’s Cold Spring Bus Maintenance Facility to power the new buses as they enter the NFTA’s fleet, and complete the electric grid improvements needed to charge the batteries of up to 100 electric buses at Cold Spring, setting the stage to make the Cold Spring garage entirely a base for battery-powered electric vehicles.
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Not only will the project help the NFTA reduce its reliance on fossil fuels needed to power its transit bus fleet, Schumer said, but it will also save the NFTA an estimated $440,942 per year in diesel costs.
“This investment will significantly accelerate NFTA’s Battery Electric Bus Deployment program,” said Kim Minkel, NFTA executive director. “I’m so thankful for the commitment and advocacy provided by Senator Schumer, Senator Gillibrand, and Congressman Higgins. This funding will help protect the environment by supporting NFTA’s mission of providing clean, safe and affordable transportation to our communities.”