The latest federal stimulus package is delivering for Missouri’s rural transit providers. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) today announced a $61.7 million grant to the Missouri Department of Transportation (DOT) as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed by President Donald J. Trump on March 27, 2020. Missouri DOT will use the funds for operating expenses and capital assistance for 30 Missouri rural agencies, including the Cape Girardeau County Transit Authority, the Non-Profit OATS Inc. which operates in 87 Missouri counties, the City of Excelsior Springs, and SMTS. See FTA’s apportionment tables for the totals apportioned to each area. (This funding is based on the agency’s current request and may not represent the full amount the agency will receive.)
“This historic $25 billion in grant funding will ensure our nation’s public transportation systems can continue to provide services to the millions of Americans who continue to depend on them,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.
“We know that many of our nation’s public transportation systems are facing extraordinary challenges and these funds will go a long way to assisting our transit industry partners in battling COVID-19,” said FTA Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams. “These federal funds will support operating assistance to transit agencies of all sizes providing essential travel and supporting transit workers across the country who are unable to work because of the public health emergency.”
“This funding is a vital lifeline for Missouri’s rural transit providers – many of whom have been reduced to essential services only during this COVID-19 outbreak,” said Kimberly Cella, MPTA Executive Director. “We know transit is essential, and this funding allows these agencies to continue to operate in these extraordinary times.”