HELE-ON AWARDED FUNDING FOR ZERO EMISSIONS FLEET & CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS
HELE-ON AWARDED FUNDING FOR ZERO EMISSIONS FLEET & CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS
The County of Hawaiʻi Mass Transit Agency (MTA), in partnership with the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation (HDOT), received today from the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grant funds from the Buses and Bus Facilities and Low or No Emission grant program under President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
As part of the joint grant application with HDOT, Hawaiʻi County, Maui County, and Kauaʻi County will receive a piece of the $23,186,682 from the Low or No Emission grant program and $12,000,000 from the Bus and Bus Facilities grant program. This is Hawaiʻi County’s third successful application. Funds were previously granted in FY 2018 and FY 2021 for purchasing electric buses and associated charging infrastructure. As part of those grant awards, Hawaiʻi County is also leading the procurement of electric buses and charging equipment in partnership with Maui and Kauaʻi Counties.
The County will procure six (6) fuel cell electric buses and support hydrogen charging infrastructure through the Low or No Emissions grant program. For the Bus and Bus Facilities grant program, the County will be able to continue to implement capital elements of the Hawaiʻi County Transit and Multi-Modal Transportation Master Plan, which includes improvements to bus stops and shelters, transit hub design, and zero emissions infrastructure as the County transitions to zero emissions technology.
“Our administration has committed to transitioning to a more sustainable, eco-friendly fleet across the board and has been aggressively seeking funding opportunities to make the transition as swift as possible,” said Mayor Mitch Roth. “Through these grants, we will not only be able to acquire more zero-emission buses but also upgrade our facilities to support them — paving the way for an islandwide transition down the road. This is a huge win for us and it’s all due to our teams who continue working tirelessly to create a more sustainable Hawaiʻi Island for generations to come.”
“We are grateful to HDOT, the FTA, and the Hawai’i congressional delegation for securing this funding,” said John Andoh, Mass Transit Administrator & General Manager. “As we work towards to purchase and implementation of the brand new fleet of the future, we continue to ensure the provision of equitable transportation to the residents and visitors of our island while being good stewards of our environment to protect our future.”
FTA’s Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program supports transit agencies in buying and rehabilitating buses and vans and building bus maintenance facilities. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides the program with nearly $2 billion over five years. For the Fiscal Year 2022, approximately $550 million for grants was available under this program.
FTA’s Low or No Emission (Low-No) Grant Program makes funding available to help transit agencies buy or lease U.S.-built low- or no-emission vehicles, including related equipment or facilities. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides $5.5 billion over five years for the Low-No Program – more than six times greater than the previous five years of funding. For the Fiscal Year 2022, approximately $1.1 billion was available for grants under this program.
More information on these grants can be found at https://www.transit.dot.gov/bus-program
For additional Hele-On information, call (808) 961-8744 or visit www.heleonbus.org.
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About Hele-On: Hele-On is a service of the County of Hawai’i Mass Transit Agency and provides countywide public transit services on 25 fixed and flex routes countywide Hele-On Kako’o for ADA complementary paratransit service in Hilo, Kailua-Kona, and Puna, a shared ride taxi program with three taxi companies in Hilo, countywide senior and persons with disabilities transportation service in partnership with Hawaii County Economic Opportunities Council (HCEOC) and Brantley Center, a vanpool program in partnership with Commute with Enterprise and 10 HIBike bike-share stations in Hilo and Kailua-Kona in partnership with PATH. Hele-On transports approximately 400,000 passenger trips annually on a fleet of more than 30 buses, vans, and a trolley. Transit services are contracted with Roberts Hawai’i, taxicab companies, Transdev, HCEOC, Brantley Center, Enterprise Holdings, and PATH. For additional Hele-On information, please call (808) 961-8744, TDD/TTY: 711 through the relay service, email: heleonbus@hawaiicounty.gov, or visit www.heleonbus.org.