Alerts
$450K Grant Award 🚌 Transit & Equity
Equity, Mobility, and Maximizing Opportunity
On July 21st, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Announced $20 million in competitive grant awards to 47 communities across the country. GBT will receive $450,000 in federal funding along with $50,000 in State funding to conduct multiple planning and community engagement projects aimed at ensuring transit equity.
Equity in public transportation planning and investment is important to GBT and the communities we serve. These projects will include extensive community engagement to ensure that public transportation services:
- meet the needs of our communities today and in the future
- are in the places where they are needed most
- support the people and build on neighborhood strengths and cultures
“The Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority in Connecticut will receive $450,000 to conduct a planning analysis targeting underserved communities. It will develop policy and planning processes that link equity with transit investment; a fleet, facility, and deployment plan to transition the bus fleet to zero-emission propulsion systems; and an educational program for residents and business owners to better inform them about transit and mobility options.”
— Federal Transit Administration
Advancing Racial Equity, Supporting Underserved Communities, Protecting Public Health and the Environment
“The Areas of Persistent Poverty (AoPP) Program supports the President’s initiatives to mobilize American ingenuity to build modern infrastructure and an equitable, clean energy future. By supporting increased transit access for environmental justice (EJ) populations, equity-focused community outreach and public engagement of underserved communities and adoption of equity-focused policies, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and addressing the effects of climate change, FTA’s AoPP Program advances the goals of Executive Order 13985: Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities through the Federal Government; Executive Order 13990: Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis; and Executive Order 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.”
—Federal Transit Administration
“Across the country, people who live in low-income rural, urban, and Tribal communities are less likely to own a car and more likely to rely on public transit,” “Through this program, we are bringing affordable, accessible public transit to the very communities that need it the most, making it possible for more people to access jobs, resources and opportunity.”
— U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
“Transit is the great equalizer, providing rides for those who do not have a car or cannot drive, and particularly in rural and Tribal areas, having access to an affordable, reliable bus ride can mean the difference between isolation and opportunity, FTA’s Areas of Persistent Poverty Program is about forging connections for people who need accessible transit the most.”
—FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez
Community Partnership
The grant application was prepared jointly between GBT and the Metropolitan Council of Governments (MetroCOG) and the agencies will be working together on the project.
Thank you to the supporters of the grant application:
- U. S. Congressman Jim Himes
- U. S. Senator Richard Blumenthal
- U.S. Senator Chris Murphy
- State of CT Department of Transportation (CTDOT)
- Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
- The City of Bridgeport
- The Amalgamated Transit Union
- The Workplace Inc.
- The Metropolitan Council of Governments
Stay tuned for more information as the projects get underway.
Contributing to a better community through public transportation.
— GBT Mission
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