DOVER -- The Delaware Transit Corporation (DTC) will receive $2.5 million from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to install a canopy system with a solar panel array for its bus parking facility in Dover. The facility is the primary bus storage location in Central Delaware, and this project will improve maintenance, extend the life of vehicles and reduce energy costs.

     The award is part of $464 million in grants designed to help improve the safety and help improve the safety and reliability of transit bus service nationwide as the economy returns," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao in announcing the allocations through FTA’s Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program. The funding supports projects to replace, rehabilitate, and purchase buses and related equipment, as well as projects to purchase, rehabilitate, and construct bus-related facilities.

     Demand for FTA’s Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program far exceeded available funds, as FTA received 282 applications totaling approximately $1.8 billion in funding requests, from 51 states and territories. Project proposals were evaluated based on criteria outlined in the Notice of Funding Opportunity.