NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Louisiana city with an aging bus fleet has been awarded a $6.3 million grant for 17 new buses.
The New Orleans Advocate reports the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority hasn't replaced most of its fleet since just after Hurricane Katrina.
The agency announced the grant Tuesday. It's one of more than 100 organizations nationwide awarded Federal Transit Administration grants to help states and agencies replace buses and bus depots.
The agency's manager, a French conglomerate called Transdev, attempted and failed to get a $20 million award for buses in the 2017 fiscal year. Transdev then recommended RTA's board purchase eight electric buses for about $9 million.
The board instead decided on cheaper diesel-powered buses as it says many of its buses are nearing the end of their useful lives.