Governor Ned Lamont, Transportation Commissioner Garrett Eucalitto, Senator Richard Blumenthal, Senator Chris Murphy, and Congressman Jim Himes today announced that the Connecticut Department of Transportation is being awarded a $26.4 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration for the purchase of 20 battery electric buses and implementation of transit facility infrastructure upgrades, which are targeted for use on the CTtransit Stamford Division.
The grant is being awarded through the competitive Low or No Emission Grant Program, which provides funding to purchase zero-emission and low-emission transit buses, as well as upgrades to support facilities. As a result of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, $5.5 billion in grant funding is available nationwide, which is six times greater than in the previous five years.
This grant helps accelerate Governor Lamont’s goal of converting the statewide public transportation bus fleet from diesel to zero-emission models by 2035, which he directed CTDOT to complete through Executive Order No. 21-3.
The CTtransit Stamford Division provides bus services in the Greater Stamford area with 19 local and one express route. Buses also operate out of the Stamford Transportation Center, connecting with Amtrak and Metro-North rail services. The recently adopted biennium budget provides $1.8 million for the CTtransit Stamford Division to initiate new local crosstown routes between the city’s Springdale and Cove areas, improving service and travel time.
Annually, the CTtransit Stamford Division provides approximately 3.5 million passenger trips, representing roughly 10% of all bus trips in Connecticut.