Coronavirus: Springfield to use $1.8M federal transit grant for operating expenses, maintenance

The City of Springfield has been awarded a grant to help with public transportation costs amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The $1.8 million grant award was announced by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration.

The grant award is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act approved by congress and signed by President Donald Trump in March.

The grant is to be used to aid cities and other municipalities in planning, paratransit services and maintenance, as well as wages and other operating expenses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a news release from the FTA.

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The money is to be used for transportation services as well as other associated costs. For Springfield, it means that money will go towards operating expenses and preventative maintenance associated with Springfield City Area Transit (SCAT), said Logan Cobbs, assistant to the city manager.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, funds can go towards equipping workers with personal protective equipment as well as cleaning supplies needed to sanitize buses as well as bus stops.

SCAT services have continued amid the pandemic, but ridership has dropped drastically during that period, Cobbs said. However, the city has put preventive measures in place to make sure they are keeping drivers and other personnel safe, she added.

The includes increasing the amount of PPE worn by drivers as well extra sanitizing efforts. Drivers are required to wear masks, vehicles are equipped with sanitizing supplies and buses are regularly cleaned as well as bus stops, Cobbs said.

A dip in ridership is expected to cause a decrease in revenues related to SCAT.

Average monthly fares in 2019 accounted to approximately $14,500. Fare revenue during March of this year was stable at $13,200. However, that number dropped significantly in April to $5,700, according to the city.

Cobbs noted that passenger fares account for less than 10% of total SCAT revenue, the majority of which comes from a combination of federal, state and local funding. She said those have not been negatively impacted as of yet.

“However, the state’s general revenue funds for transit were recently cut by over $3 million, so we may be impacted by that in the future,” she added.

The city currently has a contract with First Transit in terms of providing transportation services through SCAT. The city is in a five year agreement with that company that totals $9,534,870, according to information provided by Cobbs.

“During these unprecedented times, we are currently providing uninterrupted service for the citizens of Springfield,” said Kevin Snyder a general manager with First Transit.

“We will continue to actively monitor the situation and follow the direction of the CDC as we do in all matters of public health,” he added.

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SCAT also has 20 vehicles that supports seven fixed-routes and provides daily services from 6:40 a.m. to 6:40 p.m.

The grant is expected to help with day-to-day operations of SCAT as transportation systems across the country have taken a hit amid the pandemic.

The grant is part of a larger program by the Federal Transit Administration and officials with that agency say they are allocating a total of $25 billion in grant funding.

The goal is to ensure that the nation’s public transportation systems can continue to provide services amid the ongoing pandemic, according to a statement from the agency.

In Springfield, Cobbs said that SCAT has continued to provide full services in terms of routes, dial services and those associated with the American with Disabilities Act. She said those have not been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Money from the grant can be used to maintain the existing bus fleet as well as fuel costs.

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