The Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK) is set to receive a $3.1 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to purchase new low-emission buses powered by hybrid electricity. TANK is replacing aging transit buses through an ongoing fleet replacement program.
The money is allotted from a $1.66 billion award courtesy of the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law which promises a “once-in-a-generation investment in our nation’s infrastructure and competitiveness.”
“Federal funds like these are critical in driving that mission and allowing us to continue to provide reliable and sustainable public transportation to our community,” said TANK Interim General Manager Gina Douthat.
The grant comes from the FTA’s Low-No program, which is designed to replace traditional diesel buses with low and zero-emission vehicles.
This grant will provide gap funding to allow portions of TANK’s next two diesel bus orders, 14 buses, to be upgraded to hybrid-electric buses. A new bus costs approximately $500,000 for standard diesel buses and up to nearly $800,000 for hybrid-electric buses.
TANK currently has 100 buses in its fleet; 23 of them are hybrid-electric. This funding provides the direct benefit of introducing more fuel efficiency into the fleet while at the same time reducing the number of buses in circulation past their useful life.
“TANK’s mission is to provide safe, reliable transit services to the people of Northern Kentucky while keeping abreast of technology and working to use resources in a responsible way,” Douthat said.