The state has received a $38.9 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to help fully convert CTfastrak to an all-electric bus fleet, state officials said this week.
The new federal money will go toward purchasing 46 battery electric buses and installing 29 new chargers for the CTfastrak bus service, which stretches across communities including Waterbury, Cheshire, Southington, Bristol, Plainville, New Britain, Newington, West Hartford, Hartford and Manchester via a bus-only roadway, Gov. Ned Lamont’s office said.
The new funding makes up almost half of the $86.6 million project, with state money and other federal money also included in the total.
The funding, which was awarded through the FTA’s Low or No Emission Grant Program, aligns with the Lamont administration’s goal to have the state’s entire public transportation bus fleet converted from diesel to zero-emission vehicles by 2035.
Per Lamont’s office, 25 depot chargers will be installed at Fastrak’s Hartford facility and four will be installed at the CTfastrak New Britain station, in addition to associated electrical infrastructure.
Since its inception in 2015, the state said CTfastrak’s ridership has exceeded 26.5 million passenger trips.
