Brady PieperThe U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is issuing a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to fund bus safety research and develop innovative transportation technologies.
The transportation NOFO will support the agency’s Bus Safety and Accessibility Program, a federal grant initiative seeking to upgrade the nation’s driver and passenger safety systems. Allocated funding under the FTA’s Research, Development, Demonstration and Deployment Program, these competitive grants look to improve safety in the nation’s transportation systems and provide more accessible forms of travel to the public.
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The FTA will fund projects that explore a wide range of safety enhancements, such as driver barriers, technology upgrades and design improvements. The program will also support projects that develop solutions to enhance operator visibility, upgrade driver and passenger safety features and create design prototypes that are easily retrofitted onto existing buses or incorporated into new vehicles.
These eligible projects will fall under one of two key focus areas for the program, Driver Safety Systems and Passengers Safety Systems. Regardless of designation, all projects must adhere to three major principles that define the FTA’s collaborative approach to transportation solutions – partnerships, widely implementable and economically vital.
The FTA will encourage state, city and local municipalities, public and private higher education institutions, nonprofits with or without a 501(c)(3) status, small businesses and other entities to apply for this funding opportunity.
Recipients of these research grants will be required to meet certain performance standards, including the integration of safety and accessibility features into buses that comply with federal regulations.
Emphasizing collaboration, successful applicants should involve partnerships with transit agencies, vehicle manufacturers, labor unions, disability organizations and academic institutions. Proposals must also demonstrate a clear plan for achieving measurable results, with specific, attainable and time-bound objectives.
Prior to applying, eligible entities must complete a supplemental form and attach it to the Grants.gov application. Applying entities will also be required to cover at least a 20 percent non-federal cost match for proposed projects.
The FTA will host an informational webinar on Dec. 3 to discuss the application process, program requirements and questions. The NOFO’s application deadline for the Bus Safety and Accessibility Research Program is Jan. 17.
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