SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND CALL ON FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION TO FUND THE ROCHESTER-GENESEE REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand wrote to the Federal Transit Administration in support of the Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority’s (RGRTA) application for funding from the Bus and Bus Facilities Grant Program. The requested funding would be used to build a facility to house administrative operations and operational staff facilities for the RGRTA, which provides transportation to tens of thousands of residents in the greater Rochester metro area and operates a paratransit service for disabled individuals. RGRTA’s current facilities are over four decades old and beyond their usable lifespan. 

“Transportation is what connects our communities and keeps the wheels of the local economy rolling, but in Rochester the aging RGRTA facility is putting the brakes on continued development. That’s why I am urging the Federal Transit Administration to greenlight funding for the construction of a new bus garage for the RGRTA’s paratransit bus service,” said Senator Schumer. “This new facility would allow RGRTA to increase accessibility to paratransit customers and ensure RGRTA continues to operate reliably as an economic engine for the region.”  

“RGRTA provides an invaluable service to the Rochester community,” said Senator Gillibrand. “However, its current facilities are in dire need of an upgrade. I urge the Federal Transit Administration to give RGRTA’s application for federal funding the full attention it deserves so that it can continue to provide reliable transit service to those who depend on it.” 

Senator Schumer and Senator Gillibrand recently fought to include over $5.5 billion in funding for the FTA’s Bus and Bus Facilities program in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill to fund local transit systems. 

Read the full text of the letter here. 

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