Public Transportation COVID-19 Research Demonstration Grant Program Selected Projects
| State | Project Sponsor | Project Description | Funding Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| AL | Alabama Department of Transportation | The Alabama Department of Transportation will receive funding to work with 10 transit agencies, nine of them rural, to design solutions that improve cleaning protocols, respond to and mitigate exposure and develop contactless fare payment systems to improve operations and restore public confidence during the COVID-19 public health emergency. | $300,000 |
| AR | Rock Region Metropolitan Transit Authority (METRO) | Rock Region Metropolitan Transit Authority in Little Rock, Arkansas, will receive funding to purchase portable UVC light disinfectant systems for use in its fleet to combat the spread of COVID-19 and help ensure a safe environment for operators and riders while strengthening public confidence in transit. | $288,750 |
| AZ | City of Tucson | The City of Tucson, Arizona, will receive funding to upgrade SunTran's fare payment systems to allow riders to use mobile and other touchless fare payment options and install automated wheelchair securing systems on buses to allow riders to secure themselves, reducing contact with operators and improving mobility, confidence, and independence. | $600,000 |
| CA | San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) | The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) will receive funding to develop a customer information system that will include tools such as customer profiles, service planning and ridership projection models as part of a focused strategy to identify mobility needs, target market segments and develop messaging to drive up ridership, including targeted media outreach and information campaigns to rebuild confidence in public transportation. | $450,000 |
| CO | City of Colorado Springs (Mountain Metropolitan Transit) | The City of Colorado Springs (Mountain Metropolitan Transit) will receive funding to implement fixed-route vehicle enhancements such as automatic people counters on all vehicles, greater availability of PPE and an improved on board air filtration system, all of which will help mitigate the risk of exposure to COVID-19 and strengthen rider confidence. | $600,000 |
| CT | Connecticut Department of Transportation | The Connecticut Department of Transportation will receive funding to conduct a pilot program to include testing of contactless, voice-activated ticket vending machines for seven CTrail Shoreline East (SLE) passenger rail stations in Connecticut. | $450,000 |
| DC | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) | The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) will receive funding to test and evaluate the effectiveness of enhanced air filtration and purification technologies on its subway cars as part of efforts to improve operations and restore public confidence during the COVID-19 public health emergency. | $600,000 |
| DE | Delaware Transit Corporation (DTC) | The Delaware Transit Corporation will receive funding to install protective barriers on part of its fixed route bus and paratransit fleet and evaluate the results on public health and operator protection as part of efforts to improve operations and restore public confidence during the COVID-19 public health emergency. | $450,000 |
| FL | South Florida Regional Transportation Authority | The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, which serves Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, will receive funding to deploy an on-demand microtransit service to improve transportation options for essential workers in the Cypress Creek area as part of efforts to increase access to transit and provide convenient and reliable service during the COVID-19 public health emergency. | $167,603 |
| GA | Georgia Department of Transportation | The Georgia Department of Transportation will receive funding to develop a contactless payment system that will allow riders to pay for trips using the Internet or a mobile app, enhancing safety, improving the rider experience and encouraging regional coordination to make transit more accessible to all Georgians during the COVID-19 public health emergency. | $450,000 |
| IA | Ames Transit Agency - CyRide (City of Ames) | Ames Transit Agency (CyRide), with project partners Syncromatics and Nelson Nygaard, will deploy automatic passenger counter technology throughout its bus fleet and complete an independent evaluation of the project. This technology is designed to allow potential transit riders to view the capacity of buses and strengthen rider confidence to return to transit during the COVID-19 public health emergency. | $450,000 |
| IL | Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District (MetroLINK) | Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District (MetroLINK) in Illinois will receive funding to develop a transit-specific cyber resilience assessment tool to understand and manage cyber risks and meet operational challenges, including cybersecurity of assets, systems and networks in response to increased risks under remote agency operations and system upgrades. | $400,000 |
| IN | South Bend Public Transportation Corporation (Transpo) | South Bend Public Transportation Corporation in Indiana will receive funding to implement a new, contactless payment option for riders, streamlining the boarding process and operational efficiency of each route and reducing contact between operators, riders and fareboxes, improving safety during the COVID-19 public health emergency. | $122,638 |
| KS/MO | Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) | The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority in Missouri will receive funding to implement contactless, electronic fare validation to replace its current visual validation approach that requires riders to be in close proximity to the bus operator. This technology will be used on RideKC buses serving the Kansas City region and on Omnitrans buses serving San Bernardino County, California. | $450,000 |
| LA | Capital Area Transit System | Capital Area Transit System in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, will receive funding to support the integration of contactless bus fare payments through smart card technology via card-based or account-based fare payments, mobile phone payments, and barcoded ticketing technology, reducing contact between operators, riders and the farebox, and improving safety during the COVID-19 public health emergency. | $300,000 |
| MA | Montachusett Regional Transit Authority (MART) | The Montachusett Regional Transit Authority in Massachusetts will receive funding to implement a multi-provider, integrated, app-based electronic system for booking and paying for on-demand paratransit. The tool will help institutions such as healthcare providers and employers to improve managed transportation and reduce dependence on call centers, dispatch and billing. | $337,500 |
| MD | Baltimore County, Maryland | The Baltimore County, Maryland Department of Public Works Transportation division will receive funding to purchase and install protective shields on its CountyRide vehicles, which will enhance safety for riders and operators during the COVID-19 public health emergency. | $12,096 |
| MD | Montgomery County | Montgomery County, Maryland will receive funding for its Ride On transit service to provide real-time bus loading and crowding information to increase public safety and confidence and encourage social distancing during the COVID-19 public health emergency. | $450,000 |
| MI | Michigan Department of Transportation | The Michigan Department of Transportation will receive funding for automated wheelchair securement systems on buses at five transit agencies in rural and urban service environments throughout the state. MDOT also will deploy a smart phone app that integrates dispatching, scheduling and fare payment to lessen exposure to the COVID-19 virus and improve efficiency. | $600,000 |
| MN | Minnesota Department of Transportation | The Minnesota Department of Transportation will receive funding to test contactless fare payment systems to better understand the impact on passenger safety during the COVID-19 public health emergency. MnDOT will work with a University of Minnesota research team to gauge public perceptions and attitudes around safety and impacts of contactless systems. | $450,000 |
| MO | Missouri Department of Transportation | The Missouri Department of Transportation will receive funding to launch a statewide vanpooling program to get individuals to and from work, which will expand job access, create safe and reliable ways to commute, and use state-of-the-art technology to help riders match and pay for fares in real time. | $450,000 |
| MP | Commonwealth Office of Transit Authority | The Commonwealth Office of Transit Authority in the Northern Mariana Islands will receive funding to hire a consultant to examine COTA's current bus services, resources and data, and recommend how to improve management practices while operating during a global pandemic. COTA will adopt innovative solutions that will improve access and mobility and support the re-opening of the economy in the Commonwealth. | $300,000 |
| MS | Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (Choctaw Transit) | The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians will receive funding to deploy innovative solutions in equipment, cleaning and disinfection supplies and contactless payments to address safety concerns for Choctaw Transit drivers, riders and administration during the COVID-19 public health emergency and to enhance mobility and access to public transportation for tribal communities. | $300,000 |
| NC | City of Fayetteville | The City of Fayetteville, North Carolina, will receive funding to purchase and deploy a contactless transit fare payment system that will eliminate the collection of cash for fares on board the Fayetteville Area System of Transit paratransit and fixed route bus transit system. This project is designed to enhance public safety and impove the rider experience during the COVID-19 public health emergency. | $355,000 |
| NJ | New Jersey Transit Corporation | New Jersey Transit will receive funding to use video analytics and artificial intelligence to address COVID-19 exposures on transit vehicles via heat mapping, face mask detection and capacity management. NJT will launch and evaluate this pilot program on the RiverLINE light rail line in South Jersey. | $600,000 |
| NV | Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada | The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada will receive funding to install innovative contactless payment systems in its fixed route transit buses, which will improve mobility and access, and reduce the risk of COVID-19 exposure for both drivers and riders. | $500,000 |
| NY | New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) | The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority will receive funding to examine how people move and how COVID-19 travels throughout the metropolitan region by studying aerosol dispersion in transit. This project is designed to improve passenger safety and strengthen public confidence to return to mass transit during the COVID-19 public health emergency. | $600,000 |
| OH | Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) | The Central Ohio Transit Authority in Columbus will receive funding to develop a comprehensive data model, including incorporating cell phone data to understand travel patterns, to drive decision-making based on travel changes pre- and post-COVID-19. The analysis will help improve operational efficiencies and demonstrate how communities with multimodal transit networks can provide more efficient and reliable service with data-driven decision-making, especially during and after emergencies. | $600,000 |
| OR | City of Portland | The City of Portland, Oregon, will receive funding to improve confidence in public transportation by investing in clean, safe vehicles for its streetcars including replacing cloth seat coverings with easy-to-sanitize vinyl coverings; educating riders with new message boards at stops; and hiring public health-trained staff to ensure vehicles are properly sanitized and the system is adhering to public health guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19. | $439,950 |
| PA | Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) | The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), in partnership with Drexel University, will receive funding to evaluate air ventiliation and surface cleaning in preventing the transmission of COVID-19. This project is designed to improve passenger safety and strengthen public confidence to return to mass transit during the COVID-19 public health emergency. | $584,618 |
| SC | Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments | The Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments in South Carolina will receive funding to partner with the Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority and TriCounty Link to develop a contactless mobile ticketing and trip planning app, which will provide the public a safe way to plan trips and pay fares on a single platform across all modes supported by multiple transportation agencies throughout the tri-county region. | $575,000 |
| TN | Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) | Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority in Tennessee will receive funding to study how to transport large numbers of riders efficiently while ensuring safety with social distancing. The project will include strategies to minimize bus crowding through dynamic vehicle staging, dispatching and scheduling that will be integrated into a trip planning and crowding real-time feed, providing agencies and riders tools to make informed decisions that improve operations, safety, and the rider experience. | $585,000 |
| TX | City of El Paso, Mass Transit Department (Sun Metro) | The City of El Paso Mass Transit Department (Sun Metro) in Texas will receive funding to integrate a contactless payment system, allowing riders to purchase tickets and passes using mobile devices or credit cards. The accompanying mobile app will allow users to get real-time locations and schedules of buses. | $225,000 |
| UT | Utah Transit Authority (UTA) | The Utah Transit Authority will receive funding to expand its contactless payment software to include E-vouchers that will allow contactless payments with UTA mobile fares as well as transportation network companies. The project also will add a rider web portal and mobile app, providing more options for trip planning. | $508,200 |
| VA | Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) | The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation will receive funding to develop a COVID-19 Transit Recovery Toolkit, including a comprehensive strategy handbook covering facility sanitation, exposure mitigation, contactless fare payments and policies for employee and passenger safety, long-term sanitation strategies, increasing service frequencies, reducing vehicle capacity, implementing multi-door boarding and adopting longer term zero fare policies to help transit agencies statewide, particularly those in rural areas. | $247,500 |
| VT | Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) | The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) will receive funding to purchase and install UVC lighting units in transit vehicles and personal vehicles operated by volunteer drivers. VTrans will test the technology as a strategy to combat the spread of viruses, increase the safety of drivers and riders, and build confidence in the safety of public transportation. | $581,201 |
| WA | King County Metro | King County Metro in Washington will receive funding to test strategies to distribute subsidized, contactless mobile transit tickets to customers through local businesses, hospitals and community-based organizations in urban and rural areas. The project would test and document transit validation tools, fare incentive programs and best practices for including businesses in extending transit subsidies to riders to welcome them back during the COVID-19 recovery. | $400,000 |
Total Funding Amount:
$15,780,056
Last updated: Tuesday, January 19, 2021