September 05, 2018

Castro Announces $2M for Low and Zero Emissions Transit

WASHINGTON—Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and First Vice Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, announced $2 million of federal funding from the Department of Transportation (DOT) to VIA Metropolitan Transit for the purchase of 8 electric buses to replace diesel vehicles dedicated to downtown operations.

“As public transportation continues to grow in large cities including San Antonio, access to environmentally friendly options will further benefit the public health and environment of communities. I welcome this federal grant for the purchase of these electric buses for downtown San Antonio, which will inevitably help our city be a national leader in sustainable transit. In turn, this grant will make our great city of San Antonio safer, cleaner place for everyone and an example for other cities across Texas and our nation.”

VIA Metropolitan Transit first introduced battery electric buses to its fleet in 2013, with a previous federal grant. VIA had previously received $1.75 million in Fiscal Year 2017 and added 2 electric-powered buses to its fleet. In April 2018, the DOT announced $84.45 million of Fiscal Year 2018 funds would be available through the Low-No program to make an estimated 35 awards nationwide.

# # #