McConnell Helps Secure More Than $8.7 Million for Upgrades to Lexington and Louisville Bus Systems

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced today that two Kentucky transit agencies will receive $8,724,000 in federal grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to fund improvements to their bus maintenance facilities.
The competitive federal grants awarded to the Transit Authority of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government (Lextran) and Louisville’s Transit Authority of River City (TARC) come from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration through the Buses and Bus Facilities Program, which was funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that Senator McConnell supported. Senator McConnell also wrote letters to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in support of the transit agencies’ grant applications.
$6,100,000 in federal funding to Lextran
to procure new vehicles for their existing fleet. According to Lextran, they would acquire seven new buses and ten paratransit vehicles to replace outdated equipment.
“Lextran will use this federal funding to replace several vehicles that are nearing the end of their useful service life,”
said Senator McConnell.
“These new buses will improve reliability, increase efficiency, and help Lextran carry out its mission to provide dependable transportation services for families and workers across Lexington.”
“Receiving this grant is a proud achievement for our agency that reinforces our commitment to the community we serve. Adding 10 new paratransit vehicles and 7 fixed-route buses to our fleet strengthens our transportation network. These investments will enhance connectivity for riders, improve the reliability of our daily service, and elevate safety across all operations. We are grateful for the ongoing support from the Federal Transit Administration and Senator McConnell for this investment,”
said Fred Combs, AICP, Lextran General Manager.
$2,624,000 in federal funding to TARC
to create a new dedicated bus brake maintenance shop to consolidate the entire brake maintenance operation into one service facility.
“This federal funding will allow TARC to expand its operations, and the new brake-maintenance shop will help keep buses running safely, reliably, and on time,”
said Senator McConnell.
“Reliable public transit connects riders across Louisville and its suburbs to jobs, schools, and local businesses. TARC plays an important role in keeping our community moving, and this investment will strengthen the service that so many families rely on every day.”
“TARC is committed to providing great service to the city of Louisville; this award places us in a better position to do just that as we move toward implementing the New TARC Network next August,”
said Ozzy Gibson, TARC Executive Director.
“With the expansion of the 10th street maintenance facility, service reliability and performance across the fleet will improve for the Greater Louisville area; TARC is incredibly grateful to Senator McConnell for his support of this grant.”
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