Congressmen Darin LaHood (IL-18) and Rodney Davis (IL-13) announced today that Connect Transit was awarded a $931,939 CARES Act grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT). Connect Transit will use the funds for wages, cleaning and disinfecting coaches and facilities, personal protection equipment, and other eligible COVID-19 expenses for fixed-route and ADA paratransit service.
“I greatly appreciate the support of our entire Congressional delegation for providing the CARES Act funding. Public transportation is an essential service and our community needs the service we provide now, more than ever,” said Connect Transit General Manager, Isaac Thorne.
“COVID-19 has impacted public transportation systems across Illinois, including Connect Transit, causing significant disruption in service and budgets. Congress and the federal government took important steps to provide relief to mass transit districts and local governments during this pandemic in the CARES Act. It’s important that residents have access to safe public transportation during this challenging time, and I am pleased to join Congressman Rodney Davis to announce this critical relief funding for Connect Transit,” said Rep. LaHood.
“I want to thank Congressman LaHood and Davis and Senator Durbin and Duckworth for their unwavering support of Connect Transit and the Bloomington-Normal community. They go above and beyond to make sure the riders of our system are taken care of, especially during this pandemic. I appreciate their willingness to always listen to Connect and be a part of the solution to make us better,” said Connect Transit Chairman, Ryan Whitehouse.
“Congressman Darin LaHood and I supported the bipartisan CARES Act because it provided much-needed funding to ensure vital local services like transit continue safely and uninterrupted,” said Rep. Davis. “This grant will allow Connect Transit to do just that. As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I will continue to advocate for transit funding for Bloomington-Normal and central Illinois at-large.”
