$10 Million Awarded to Miami-Dade for Hybrid Buses

MIAMI – New diesel-electric hybrid buses are on the way to Miami-Dade, according to an announcement this morning by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood.

LaHood was joined in Miami Wednesday morning by Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez at the soon-to-open Miami Intermodal Transit Center at Miami International Airport. They announced a $10 million grant to modernize the bus system that thousands of riders use in Miami-Dade County.

“This is wonderful news for South Florida,” said U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. “Modernizing Miami-Dade’s Metrobus fleet with diesel-electric hybrid buses will make the fleet more environmentally friendly while also lowering fuel costs, saving taxpayer dollars. We are grateful for the Administration’s commitment to investing in infrastructure and that they have recognized South Florida as an integral part of creating an economy built to last.”

The grant is being awarded under the State of Good Repair Program, which is geared toward maintaining the nation’s public transportation systems in order to provide safe and reliable service to millions of daily riders across the country. The funding will be used to replace the current Metrobus diesel vehicles with new hybrid-electric buses. Statewide, Florida is receiving $50 million for 14 transit projects.