Transportation Funds Will Be Distributed to Transit Agencies to Improve Bus Fleets and Facilities

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation has made a grant of $11,628,120 to the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) through the Urban and Rural Bus Discretionary Program.  The money will be used for bus replacement and bus facility upgrades throughout the state of Texas.

"I am very pleased that Texas will receive such a large sum of money to improve our existing bus systems,” Congresswoman Johnson said.  “Transportation costs have become an ever-increasing burden on working families in recent years, and people are having trouble making ends meet in this economy.  We in government must continue to make mass transit an appealing option for people.”

According to the American Public Transportation Association, public transportation saves travelers 1.1 billion hours in travel time, and every $10 million invested in public transportation saves more than $15 million in transportation costs, for both highway and transit users.

“Public transportation provides personal mobility and freedom for people from every walk of life,” Congresswoman Johnson continued.  “The transportation funding made available by this grant will play a pivotal role in aiding our state's various transit agencies continue to enhance mobility and improve quality of life for thousands of Texans in both rural and urban areas.”

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U.S. Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson is the highest-ranking Texan on the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure and a senior member of the Science Committee. She represents the 30th Congressional District of Texas, which, includes Downtown Dallas, Fair Park, Oak Lawn, Old East Dallas, Pleasant Grove, & South Oak Cliff; all of Balch Springs, DeSoto, Hutchins, Lancaster & Wilmer and parts of Cedar Hill, Duncanville, Ferris, Glenn Heights and Ovilla.