The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) received nearly $61 million in federal aid from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) in response to the economic impact of COVID-19 on its public transportation system.
Funded by state sales tax and passenger fares, the RTC’s transit operating revenue has suffered greatly during the health and economic crisis. The federal relief packages will help offset the agency’s budget deficit from revenue losses due to the pandemic.
The RTC will receive approximately $60,118,785 through the FTA’s Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 (CRRSAA). The CRRSAA grant will help support funds to manage and maintain public transit operational costs, such as payroll, fuel and personal protective equipment and supplies.
The CRRSAA includes $14 billion in relief to transit agencies across the country.
The FTA also awarded $500,000 in funding to the RTC through the COVID-19 Research Demonstration Grant Program. The program supports strategies to develop, deploy and demonstrate innovative solutions that improve the operational efficiency of transit agencies and enhance the mobility of transit users affected by the pandemic. The RTC will use the amount to procure and install new Europay, MasterCard, and Visa (EMV) certified electronic validators on its more than 400 fixed-route buses.
The new EMV-certified validators will allow the RTC to grow its contactless payment options to improve health measures, reduce passenger-loading times and increase overall operational efficiency.
The FTA received 104 eligible project proposals totaling approximately $63.4 million and awarded 37 projects in 35 states with $15.8 million in total grant funding
