JACKSONVILLE, FL. August 16, 2022 – The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) $15.4 million through the Low or No Emissions Buses & Bus Facilities Grant Program.
The Low-No Grant Program assists agencies in the financing of buses and bus facilities capital projects, including replacing, rehabilitating, purchasing or leasing buses or related equipment, and rehabilitating, purchasing, constructing or leasing bus-related facilities. The program provides funding to state and local governmental authorities for the purchase or lease of zero-emission and low-emission transit buses, including acquisition, construction, and leasing of required supporting facilities.
“Thanks to this significant investment by U.S. DOT, and with the support of our Congressional leadership, the JTA will continue to advance sustainability efforts by phasing out more diesel buses with vehicles powered by cleaner compressed natural gas,” said JTA Chief Executive Officer Nathaniel P. Ford Sr. “We also will leverage this funding to invest in the future with infrastructure to support and integrate more electric-powered buses into our fleet.”
"As Jacksonville continues to grow, investing in our transit system is an important part of our economic growth and reliable transportation options for daily commuters," said U.S. Rep. John Rutherford, who represents Florida's 4th Congressional House District. "By replacing diesel buses that have exceeded their useful life with more efficient natural gas buses, JTA will continue to be a national leader in transit service and energy efficient mobility across Northeast Florida."
"I am thrilled that the Jacksonville Transportation Authority is receiving a grant for more than $15.4 million to finance the replacement of 21 high CO2 emission diesel buses with green electric buses and the construction of the charging stations,” said U.S. Rep. Al Lawson who represents Florida's 5th Congressional House District. “With the continuous local and federal investments in my district, our public transportation system is achieving a cleaner and more sustainable future for residents."
The purpose of the Low-No grant program is to support the transition of the nation’s transit fleet to the lowest polluting and most energy efficient transit vehicles.
The proposed $21 million project comprises the Low-No grant and approximately $6 million in local match dollars. Through this project, the JTA will retire 21 diesel buses that have reached or exceeded their useful life and replace them with the CNG-powered buses. The JTA is also preparing for the next generation of carbon neutral electric buses by building the necessary infrastructure to support six additional battery electric buses funded through the State of Florida’s Volkswagen Settlement Program.
The JTA began phasing out diesel buses with CNG with the launch of the First Coast Flyer Bus Rapid Transit Network, and through a public-private partnership with Clean Energy to build a CNG filling station on the JTA’s Myrtle Avenue Operations Campus. The JTA added two battery electric buses and charging stations in 2020. The current fleet comprises 127 CNG buses, 61 diesel buses, seven hybrid diesel buses, and two battery electric buses.
The JTA, in partnership with JEA, the North Florida Clean Fuels Coalition, and the JAXUSA Partnership hosted a two-day forum in June focused on advancing sustainability efforts through the Power Up! Zero Emissions Forum. Topics included transitions to more sustainable and zero-emission fleets.
Sustainability is also a key theme of the new JTA’s five-year strategic plan, MOVE2027 – Mobility Optimization through Vision & Excellence. The plan was developed to respond to current and future needs of Northeast Florida and sets an ambitious agenda for the JTA over the next five years to keep the Authority at the forefront of a changing region and mobility landscape. To learn more about sustainability efforts and the future of mobility in Northeast Florida through MOVE2027, read the full plan at https://www.jtafla.com/projects/move2027/.
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About the Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA)
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) is an independent state agency serving Jacksonville, Florida and Northeast Florida with multi-modal responsibilities. The JTA provides varied mass public transit services, and is a builder of roads, bridges and other infrastructure to enhance mobility in Jacksonville. Public transportation services include BRT and regular bus service, paratransit, the St. Johns River Ferry, Skyway APM, and other mobility and on-demand services in Duval, Clay, Baker, Nassau and St. Johns counties. To learn more, visit www.jtafla.com.