[Atlantic, Iowa]  U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao announced on September 25th, that the Federal Transit Authority (FTA) will award $366.2 million in grants to improve the safety and reliability of America’s bus systems and enhance mobility for transit riders. A total of 107 projects in 50 states and territories will receive funding from FTA’s Buses and Bus Facilities Infrastructure Investment Program.

As part of this grant award, Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO), which operates Southwest Iowa Transit Agency (SWITA), based in Atlantic, will receive $1-million, 16-thousand 983-dollars ($1,016,983) toward 11 new light duty buses and 4 vans.  SWIPCO will provide a local match of $179,469 to complete the purchases.  SWIPCO serves an 8 county region that includes Harrison, Shelby, Pottawattamie, Cass, Mills, Montgomery, Fremont, and Page Counties.

SWIPCO Executive Director John McCurdy said, “Iowa is a national leader in rural public transportation, and SWITA is one of the largest rural transit providers in the state.  However, that means we have a lot of vehicles that put on a lot of miles.  This grant will help replace vehicles that have anywhere from 200,000 to 250,000 or more miles on them.  Under this grant SWITA will be receiving more funds than some states did, but keep in mind our area is about the same size as Connecticut.  We are fortunate that the Iowa DOT Office of Public Transit has a very fair system for ranking the equipment needs of systems, and we had a number of vehicles at the top of the list for replacement.”

The funding supports projects to replace, rehabilitate, and purchase buses and related equipment, as well as projects to purchase, rehabilitate, and construct bus-related facilities. In Fiscal Year 2018, FTA has awarded more than $15 billion in funding through both formula and competitive grant programs to support public transportation.