Low or No Emission Vehicle Program – 5339(c)

What’s New

Overview

The Low or No Emission competitive program provides funding to state and local governmental authorities for the purchase or lease of zero-emission and low-emission transit buses as well as acquisition, construction, and leasing of required supporting facilities. Under the FAST Act, $55 million per year is available until fiscal year 2020.

• Watch our four-minute video highlighting the Low and No-Emission Grant Program, which supports new technologies that are changing the makeup of bus fleets nationwide.  

Allocation of Funding

Funding is allocated to projects on a competitive basis, from proposals submitted to FTA in response to a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Past project selections include:

Technical Assistance

• View the April 2018 National RTAP Webinar: FTA Low No Emissions Program Grant Writing
• FTA contracts with the National Renewable Energy Lab to evaluate zero-emission bus research and demonstration projects. 
• FTA hosted webinars on deploying low- or no-emission buses that feature speakers from agencies that have been successful in introducing zero-emission buses, including recipients of FTA’s Low-No grants. 

Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants include direct recipients of FTA grants under the Section 5307 Urbanized Area Formula program, states, and Indian Tribes. Except for projects proposed by Indian Tribes, proposals for funding eligible projects in rural (non-urbanized) areas must be submitted as part of a consolidated state proposal. States and other eligible applicants also may submit consolidated proposals for projects in urbanized areas.

Eligible Activities

Eligible projects include:

• purchasing or leasing low- or no-emission buses
• acquiring low- or no-emission buses with a leased power source
• constructing or leasing facilities and related equipment (including intelligent technology and software) for low- or no-emission buses
• constructing new public transportation facilities to accommodate low- or no-emission buses
• rehabilitating or improving existing public transportation facilities to accommodate low- or no-emission buses

Statutory Reference

49 U.S.C. 5339 (c)/FAST Act Section 3017

Funding Availability

Funds are available the year appropriated plus three years. 

Match

All eligible expenses under the Low-No Program are attributable to compliance with the Clean Air Act and/or the Americans with Disabilities Act.  Therefore the Federal share of the cost of leasing or purchasing a transit bus is not to exceed 85 percent of the total transit bus cost. The federal share in the cost of leasing or acquiring low- or no-emission bus-related equipment and facilities is 90 percent of the net project cost.