Title
Federal Transit Administration Grant Funding for Low or No Emission Transit Vehicles (Ordinance S-47409)
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to apply for, accept, and disburse a Federal Transit Administration grant for Low or No Emission transit vehicles; and to enter into an agreement with the FTA to accept the grant. Further request to authorize the City Treasurer to accept, and the City Controller to disburse, all funds related to this item. The grant is anticipated for an amount not to exceed $3.2 million.
Report
Summary
The Section 5339 Low or No Emissions competitive grant program provides funding to state and local governmental authorities for the purchase or lease of zero- and/or low-emission transit buses, including the acquisition, construction, and leasing of required supporting facilities.
The Public Transit Department seeks to use a combination of Section 5339 grant and local matching funds for the purchase of up to three electric buses and the installation of supporting facility infrastructure and equipment to implement a pilot program to evaluate the use of electric bus technology for Phoenix-operated transit service. To date, the testing of electric buses in Phoenix's environment has shown that such technology is not yet adequate to operate a heavy-duty bus during the region's hotter months. However, the technology continues to improve and a pilot program would provide the opportunity to fully test the vehicles' range, explore their ability to support on-board equipment, and determine the infrastructure changes needed to upgrade electrical systems for vehicle-charging purposes.
Financial Impact
Applications for the FTA Section 5339 grant requires a minimum 15 percent local cost share of the bus purchase and 20 percent local cost share for the facility infrastructure and related equipment.
Staff estimates the project's total cost to be $3.2 million, with Phoenix's local share not to exceed $500,000. The local share of the project will use Transportation 2050 funds.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
The Transportation, Infrastructure and Innovation Subcommittee recommended approval of this item on March 3, 2021, by a vote of 4-0.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Mario Paniagua and the Public Transit Department.