BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE LAW FACT SHEET
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION INNOVATION

Program Purpose:

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, enacted as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), continues the Public Transportation Innovation program, which awards funding to advance innovative public transportation research and development.

Statutory References:

49 U.S.C. § 5312, IIJA § 30007

Eligible Recipients:

Federal Government departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the Government, including Federal laboratories; State and local governmental entities; providers of public transportation; private or non-profit organizations; institutions of higher education; and technical and community colleges.

Eligible Activities:

A broad range of activities are eligible under Sec. 5312, including:

• Accelerated implementation and deployment of advanced digital construction projects that promote, implement, deploy, demonstrate, showcase, support, and document the application of advanced digital construction management systems, practices, performance, and benefits.
• Research activities that relate to the development and deployment of new and innovative ideas, practices, and approaches.
• Innovation and development activities that seek to improve public transportation systems nationwide in order to provide more efficient and effective delivery of public transportation services, including through technology and technological capacity improvements.
• Demonstration, deployment, or evaluation projects that promote the early deployment and demonstration of innovation in public transportation that has broad applicability.
• DRAFT – Pre-decisional and for deliberative purposes only
• Low or no emission vehicle component assessments to test, evaluate, and analyze low or no emission vehicle components intended for use in low or no emission vehicles, and conduct directed technology research.
• Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) activities to provide applied research that addresses key challenges facing the public transportation industry.

What’s Changed?

• The law directs FTA to establish an Advanced Digital Construction Management Systems program to promote, implement, deploy, demonstrate, showcase, support, and document the application of advanced digital construction management systems, practices, performance, and benefits.
• Allows low or no component testing facilities to conduct directed technology research and use funds for the acquisition of equipment and capital projects related to testing low or no emission vehicle components or research related to advanced vehicle technologies that provides advancements to the entire public transportation industry.
• Prohibits facilities selected to conduct low or no component testing from carrying out bus testing performed through the Bus Testing Facility program (49 U.S.C. 5318).
• Authorizes the Secretary to reduce or waive the 20% recipient matching requirements for research projects if there's substantial public benefit.

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