Tucson Standard

Tucson will soon increase its fleet of electric buses with a $12.1 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration.

The $12,112,400 grant will be used by the city to buy new zero-emission buses and build clean energy infrastructure, according to KGUN 9. The grant is part of a $1.66 billion Low- and No-Emission Bus and Bus Facilities program included in President Joe Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

"Today, Tucson received a $12.1 million @FTA_DOT grant to expand our city's EV bus fleet to ensure cleaner air, quieter streets, and protect frontline communities from the health impacts associated with climate change," Mayor Regina Romero said in a Twitter post.

Pete Buttigieg, U.S. secretary of transportation, revealed the grant and another for work on the 22nd Street bridge during a visit to Tucson.

"With today's awards, we're helping communities across America – in cities, suburbs, and rural areas alike – purchase more than 1,800 new buses, and most of them are zero-emission," he said.

Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Pima) wrote a letter to the public to express his support for the funding.

"With this grant, the Tucson community will benefit from additional electric buses, charging equipment, and facilities that will connect us not only to the city but [also] to our natural treasures like Coronado National Forest," he said. "From a public health point, it will mean cleaner air and less pollution in our streets."

Romero thanked the Biden administration for the grant in another Twitter post.

"I want to thank the Biden/Harris administration and our congressional delegation for prioritizing federal resources through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to modernize our bus fleet and facilities," she said.