The U.S. Department of Transportation announced yesterday that it will allocate nearly $1.7 billion (currently about RMB 12.308 billion) to buy electric and low-emission buses, which will be used for transportation projects in 46 states and territories.
▲ Photo by Pexels
The announcement said the grants could buy 1,700 American-made buses, nearly half of which would be zero-carbon. The funds come from a bipartisan infrastructure bill passed in 2021, and the U.S. government has made it a priority to put more electric vehicles on the road – especially school buses and public transportation – in an effort to curb the damage caused by climate change.
Every day, millions of Americans take more than 60,000 buses to work, to school, to the doctor and wherever they want to go,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in an interview with the Associated Press. This grant will represent an unprecedented level of investment in getting modern, clean transit on the road.”
Yesterday’s announcement covers the second round of the U.S. bus and supporting infrastructure grant program, with the U.S. government having invested a total of $3.3 billion (currently about RMB 23.892 billion) in these projects to date, with about $5 billion (currently about RMB 36.2 billion) more expected to be allocated over the next three years.
The Seattle area will receive $33.5 million (currently about $243 million) to purchase 30 electric buses and chargers, and the Washington, D.C. Transit Authority will spend $104 million (currently about $753 million) to convert bus depots into charging facilities and purchase about 100 electric buses. The money will also flow outside of major U.S. cities, such as Iowa City, Iowa, and the Seneca Native American community in Western New York, which will also receive grants.
