Davids Celebrates Final Passage of Federal Funds for Electric Buses
Today, Representative Sharice Davids joined Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) CEO Frank White III and community partners to celebrate passage of Davids' funding request to acquire and replace electric buses and increase support infrastructure, serving the entire bi-state Kansas City area. This was a joint request with Congressman Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05).
In December, the President signed a law fulfilling Davids' request for $4,000,000 to purchase as many as 10 new, zero-emission buses. This funding, along with previously-announced funds from the bipartisan infrastructure law to improve transit system reliability and increase accessibility for seniors and passengers with disabilities, will allow KCATA to continue growing their nationally-recognized fleet of electric buses and serve more people in the Kansas Third.
Rep. Davids joins Frank White, CEO of KCATA, and others on a RideKC zero emissions bus to celebrate fulfillment of her request for federal funding to purchase additional buses.
"Better, safer, and more reliable transit systems benefit our economy and our environment. I was glad to work with Congressman Cleaver and KCATA as well as other state and local leaders to secure these funds and improve the quality of life for folks in the Kansas Third,"said Davids. "This project passed detailed reviews and met high standards for return on investment. When folks have more options to get to work or school and explore all our community has to offer—our entire local economy benefits."
The KCATA project funding was passed along with the broader government funding bill for fiscal year 2023. It is one of 14 projects that Davids secured funding for in the Kansas Third District, bringing over $31 million to upgrade local police and fire department facilities in Olathe and Shawnee, purchase state-of-the-art medical equipment at The University of Kansas Medical Center, and complete much-needed infrastructure projects from Overland Park to Gardner.
"We are grateful to Congresswoman Sharice Davids for visiting with us today and getting to see firsthand the electric buses that we are integrating into the RideKC bus system. Through the Congresswoman's leadership, we will be growing our fleet of electric and low-emission buses through the $4 million she and Congressman Cleaver helped secure for us through congressionally directed funding in 2022," said Frank White III, Chief Executive Officer, Kansas City Area Transportation Authority. "These new buses will help us in our efforts to improve service experience for our riders while reducing their emissions impact on the Kansas City region's air quality. We are lucky to have representatives like Congresswoman Davids who prioritizes investments in the KCATA system and will help us grow into the future."
Members of the U.S. House were able to request federal resources for up to 15 projects with demonstrated community support. Out of hundreds of bipartisan submissions, 14 Davids-requested projects were passed into law. Each project met high ethics standards and was submitted in tandem with local officials, then selected for its potential to bring economic opportunity to the Third District, improve health and safety, and tackle climate change.