Savannah, Ga. – The Federal Transit Administration has awarded Chatham Area Transit a $1.87 million grant to assist with the purchase of three electric buses, charging stations and a mobile generator.
CAT applied earlier this year for the Low- or No-Emission grant to help achieve the transit agency’s goal of reducing air and noise pollution. When put into use, the electric buses will replace diesel buses that have reached the end of their recommended operating life.
“We are pleased to receive this fantastic news from FTA about the grant and thank our our community stakeholders for their continued support of public transit,” said interim Executive Director/CEO Michael Brown. “Not only will this help CAT modernize its fleet and achieve its environmental stewardship goals, but it also will help reduce maintenance costs and our carbon footprint.”
CAT will provide $1.87 million in matching funds for the project, which will come from Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax funding approved by voters.
The grant will build off previous grant funding awarded to CAT in recent years, which assisted the in the purchase six electric buses and ancillary equipment. The first electric buses were initially expected to arrive early this fall, although that timeline has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The electric buses being purchased with the latest grant are expected to be put into use in late 2022.