Grand Canyon Times

$51,144,259 will be invested in low or no emission (low-no) buses and bus facilities across Arizona from the bipartisan infrastructure law led by Senator Kyrsten Sinema and shaped by Senator Mark Kelly. 

$21,490,560 was awarded to the City of Tucson; $16,358,000 was awarded to the Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Transportation Authority; and $13,295,699 was awarded to Valley Metro. The funding was awarded through the Buses and Bus Facilities Program and Low-No Program, which Kelly and Sinema’s bipartisan infrastructure law bolstered by more than six times the amount of the previous five years of funding. 

In March, Kelly and Sinema sent a letter urging the Department of Transportation to support Valley Metro’s application for the Low or No Emission grant program. In April, the Arizona senators sent a letter urging the Department of Transportation to support the City of Tucson’s applications for the Low or No Emission Vehicle Program and the Grants for Bus and Bus Facilities 5339(b) Grant Program. 

“Today’s grant announcement is an important step toward making Arizona’s public transportation infrastructure more reliable, accessible, and sustainable. These investments will allow SunTran, Valley Metro, and Mountain Line to better serve the transit needs of their communities, while replacing aging buses and bus facilities with cleaner and safer transportation options. I’ll continue working with local leaders to ensure that our bipartisan infrastructure law meets the needs of all Arizona communities,” said Senator Kelly.  

“The investments we secured for Arizona city buses will keep our communities healthy, fuel economic opportunities, and expand transportation across our state. Once again, my bipartisan infrastructure law is delivering real, lasting results to everyday Arizonans,” said Sinema, co-author and lead negotiator of the bipartisan infrastructure law. 

Kelly and Sinema’s bipartisan infrastructure law provides $5.5 billion through Fiscal Year 2026 for the Low-No Program – more than six times greater than the previous five years of funding. 

Kelly and Sinema’s bipartisan infrastructure law makes the strongest investment ever in American public transit with $39.2 billion to expand transit systems, increase accessibility, and fund the nation’s transit system repair backlog, estimated at more than 24,000 buses; 5,000 rail cars; 200 stations; and thousands of miles of track, signals, and power systems—and the biggest investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak. Last year, the bipartisan infrastructure law delivered $176 million for Arizona public transportation. 

Sinema led bipartisan Senate negotiations with Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio that included Senator Kelly and senators from both parties. 

The bipartisan infrastructure law was supported by groups including The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable, The National Association of Manufacturers, The AFL-CIO, The National Retail Federation, The Bipartisan Policy Center, North America’s Building Trades Unions, the Outdoor Industry Association, The American Hotel and Lodging Association, The National Education Association, as well as hundreds of mayors across all 50 states. 

Original source can be found here.