TxDOT approves nearly $150 million to improve access to transit across Texas

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has announced that it is investing nearly $150 million to help improve access to public transport across the state.

On 12 July 2022, the Texas Transportation Commission awarded more than $68 million in federal and state funds to transit providers across Texas. Combined with an award granted in June 2022, TxDOT is distributing more than $146 million in funding, a 65 per cent increase compared to funds approved in summer 2021. This increase is partly due to additional federal funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The money will help make commuters’ daily rides more comfortable and easier to access. Across the state the funds will make transit safer and more reliable, ensuring Texans have access to jobs, schools, healthcare and other important destinations and services.

“This funding is critical to ensuring everyone in Texas, especially in rural areas, has access to where they need to go safely and reliably,” said TxDOT Transportation Commissioner Alvin New. “Many people across the state rely on these services for basic life needs because they have no other option. We’re excited to help fund these agencies as they continue to help the people of Texas.”

UITP signs declaration for improving accessibility in public transport

Transit agencies can use this funding to cover maintenance costs, buy new buses, build new facilities and expand their services to pick up more people. Some specific examples include:

• Concho Valley Transit District in San Angelo will build a bus storage and in-house maintenance facility
• Rural Economic Assistance League (REAL), which serves nine counties in the Coastal Bend area of South Texas, will build a multimodal transit facility after doubling its service area over the past several years
• Texoma Area Paratransit System, Inc. (TAPS), which serves six counties near the Oklahoma border, is bringing administration and transportation functions from leased space to a new facility
• Brazos Transit District, which serves seven counties in the Brazos Valley, will expand its service and add fuel vehicles on site.

These state and federal funds support rural and urban transit services in over 90 per cent of the state’s land area, serving more than a third of the state’s population. The services these agencies provide vary but can include both pick up at designated locations and taking customers to and from their homes.