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COVID relief: U.S. Dept. of Transportation grants $330.8 million to BART

Bay Area Rapid Transit trains wait to board passengers at the Fruitvale station Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013, in Oakland, Calif. A major San Francisco Bay Area transit system ran trains as usual on Saturday after labor negotiations were extended past a midnight deadline, but the threat of a commute-disrupting strike loomed with the unions promising to walk off the job Monday if weekend talks fail to reach a deal. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – To help recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Transportation is awarding $330.8 million of the American Rescue Plan funds to BART.

This is to help maintain service and jobs as the Bay Area continues to recover.


“Public transportation has been a lifeline for communities and the American people throughout this pandemic,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “This funding from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan will help protect transit employees from layoffs, keep transit service running, and ensure people can get where they need to go.”

There is more than $30 billion in the American Rescue Plan Act for public transportation.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the funds come ‘from the $26.6 billion allocated by statutory formulas to urban and rural areas, tribal governments, and for the enhanced mobility of seniors and individuals with disabilities.’

There are no local shares being used in the funding.