Chances are, there's a newly repaved road carrying an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) sign near you. And it may not be too late to put a new coach bought with ARRA funds out on it. Michael Melaniphy, vice president of MCI's Public Sector, says that not all federal funding has been allocated, though all states and territories have filed their grant submissions. The FTA will redistribute unused funds come fall, with notification beginning September 16th.  "We have had customers find new funding simply by asking," says Melaniphy, who recently testified before a Congressional subcommittee on the importance of federal investment to the motor coach industry. "Some state DOTs had funds, but no interest from the private sector. There is no harm in asking."

Operators should contact the 5311(f) coordinator (see
http://www.buses.org/statefunding for a list) for the state or states in which they work, and ask if they are seeking additional proposals.

To recap, the ARRA funds have been available to fully fund equipment procurements for transit agencies and private operators willing to offer scheduled service for under-served rural areas and communities. ARRA-funded equipment must be used solely for the service it was funded for. The MCI D-Series Commuter Coach is the only intercity coach that meets the ARRA Buy-America and other standards. It should also be noted that the FTA 5311(f) program is an annual capital assistance program for rural transportation access available to private operators.  Without the ARRA funding local match dollars are required, but it is still a very good program.

Upcoming webinar

MCI has scheduled a webinar on Stimulus Funding opportunities for Wednesday, August 19. Please register by emailing marketing@mcicoach.com.

Private, Public Sector expertise

Melaniphy, who heads a team of Public Sector professionals well-versed in helping operators navigate the sometimes tricky waters of public bids and federal funding, has been advocating strongly for the industry of late. In his July 16 testimony in front of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, he urged swift passage of the next surface transportation authorization bill.

"This next Authorization bill is imperative for the jobs and economic opportunities that it will create, for companies such as mine, and many others throughout the industry," said Melaniphy in his testimony. "This is an industry with a long and extended supplier base, and the investment that the Surface Transportation Authorization Act will provide will have an immense impact on jobs and our economy both immediately and for years to come. As we work our way out of this economic downturn, the bill provides us with one of the best vehicles for advancing economic recovery."

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