CARES Funding Keeping Transit Operational During a National Crisis
In the CARES Act, Congress signed a $2 trillion relief package to support Americans impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. While many aspects of the bill -- such as small business loans, individual relief supplements, and expanded unemployment benefits -- gained a lot of national attention, some critical parts of the bill receiving less attention are nevertheless having a direct and significant impact on transportation and mobility in the region.
Of the $2 Trillion aid package, $25 billion has been distributed to transit operators impacted by the virus. The $25 billion in funding follows existing programming rules for 5307 and 53011 recipients with some exceptions, most notably that the funds cannot be used for expansion, and are not constrained by the TIP.
Of the $25 billion transit aid package, $78,291,292 has been distributed to urbanized areas within Northwestern Indiana. CARES Act grants have been submitted and approved by FTA. Operators have begun to receive relief funding.
For more information about FTA’s CARES Act emergency funding click here.
For more information on how funds were distributed within Northwestern Indiana, please contact NIRPC’s Transit Planner, James Winters: jwinters@nirpc.org
