12.02.19

Cantwell Announces $1.5M Grant for Improved Bus Service in Longview, Kelso

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, announced that the City of Longview will receive $1,560,000 in federal funding from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to purchase new low-floor biodiesel buses to replace older buses that have exceeded their useful life. 

“As RiverCities Transit has increased the service provided to the communities of Longview and Kelso, its vehicles are running more miles and are in service longer now than in years past,” Senator Cantwell said in a letter supporting the city’s grant application earlier this year. “Replacement of these four vehicles will improve the system’s condition and reliability.” 

The new buses will be operated by RiverCities Transit (RCT) and will improve access, mobility, and transit service for residents of Kelso and Longview. According to RCT, 46% of its fleet is operating past their useful lives, and the four buses to be replaced are the oldest in the fleet. 

The funding comes from the FTA’s Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program, which assists in the financing of buses and bus facilities capital projects. It supports the replacing, rehabilitating, purchasing, or leasing of buses or related equipment, and the rehabilitating, purchasing, constructing, or leasing of bus-related facilities. 

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