Press Releases

LOWELL, MA - Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) announced $337,500 in federal grant funding from the Department of Transportation’s COVID-19 Research Demonstration Program to the Montachusett Regional Transit Authority (MART). As one of the state’s fifteen regional transit authorities, MART serves the Montachusett Region of North Central Massachusetts, including Fitchburg, Leominster, and Gardner.

“Across North Central Massachusetts, essential workers are still going to work each day to save lives and keep our communities safe. For many, that means utilizing public transportation as part of their commute. The federal government has an obligation to step up and support transit agencies like MART who are doing everything possible to continue providing critical services while mitigating the spread of COVID-19. I’m proud of the work we did to help secure this federal investment, and I plan to continue working with the hardworking folks at MART to make sure they have the support necessary to keep operating and keep their workers on payroll,” said Congresswoman Lori Trahan.

“MART is extremely grateful for the COVID research grant from the FTA and USDOT which will be utilized by MART to test an integrated contactless payment system for paratransit riders across multiple modes of transportation including Paratransit, MicroTransit and third party providers. This technology innovation will allow riders and institutions to book and pay for rides using our website, apps and on-line payment channels in order to reduce direct payment interactions between driver and riders both during and post-pandemic in order to provide safer payment options to increase the safety of both riders and drivers,” said Bruno Fisher, MART Deputy Administrator. 

Background:

The Department of Transportation’s COVID-19 Research Demonstration Program helps public transit agencies develop, deploy, and demonstrate innovative solutions that improve their operational efficiency and enhance the mobility of transit users affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In November 2020, Trahan expressed her support directly to the Federal Transit Administration for the awarding of this grant. In her letter, Trahan cited a number of innovative changes to MART’s service to ensure that they could continue operations during the pandemic while also prioritizing the safety of riders and their employees.

Additionally, Congresswoman Trahan voted for the CARES Act in late March, which provided $25 billion to public transit operators across the nation to protect public health and safety while ensuring that transportation access to jobs, medical treatment, food, and other essential services remain available during the COVID-19 response. The revenues that sustain this essential service have been severely impacted due to a reduction in fare box revenue and dedicated sales taxes. This increased federal investment was supported on a bipartisan basis to help sustain more than 430,000 transit jobs and preserve access to this public service and critical workforce that are the backbone of communities’ COVID-19 prevention, response, and recovery efforts.

She also supported passage of the most recent COVID-19 relief package that was signed into law in December that allocated an additional $14 billion for transit agency operating assistance. In combination with amounts provided in the CARES Act, this funding will ensure both urban and rural transit agencies receive amounts based on their operating expenses.

Federal relief for public transportation will help mitigate devastation to the industry caused by the ongoing pandemic by ensuring that essential transit services continue running efficiently and keeping transit workers paid and on the job.

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