The FTA funding will allow VIAtrans to continue offering crucial transportation services to riders with disabilities in cleaner fuel burning vehicles
VIA Metropolitan Transit has received more than $3 million from the Federal Transit Administration through the agency's Low or No Emission Vehicle Program, according officials with the transit authority. The funding will allow VIAtrans to continue offering transportation services to riders with disabilities in vehicles that burn cleaner fuels. VIA will replace 15 gasoline-powered paratransit vehicles with low-emission propane-powered vans, all of which have exceeded the FTA’s useful-life requirements of more than 165,000 miles.
U.S. Reps. Joaquin Castro and Greg Casar, both Democrats representing San Antonio, were instrumental in securing the federal dollars. The amount received will cover the majority of the $4 million vehicle-replacement project, VIA officials said. “For decades, VIA has been a national leader in transit accessibility for people with disabilities," Castro said in a media statement."This new funding from the FTA will help expand VIA’s fleet of low-emission paratransit vehicles, protecting our clean air and improving the rider experience for VIAtrans customers."