Congressman Stephen F. Lynch today announced that the full U.S. House of Representatives has approved $1.5 million for the replacement of Brockton Area Transit buses.  The funding was included in this year’s reauthorization of the Transportation Equity Act:  A Legacy for Users (TEA-LU), legislation that identifies the transportation priorities for the United States for the next six years.  The federal funding package is expected to be approved by the Senate and signed into law by President Bush later this year.

 

"In the last few years, federal dollars have helped to fuel a dramatic upgrade in transportation services for the people of Brockton and surrounding communtities," said Congressman Stephen F. Lynch.  "With the help of Senators Kennedy and Kerry and Congressman Moakley we were able to secure more than $10 million for the construction of the new Intermodal Centre and the replacement of BAT buses.  And with this new funding, we are hoping to build on that success.”

 

Earlier this year, after lengthy discussions with Mayor Jack Yunits, Councilor Jim Harrington and Ray Ledoux, Congressman Lynch approached Republican and Democratic leaders on the House Transportation Committee to formally request federal funding for the replacement of the aging buses.  Congressman Lynch was notified that the funding would be included in the final House version of the bill, which was overwhelmingly approved by the House last week.

 

Over the last two years, Congressman Lynch has secured a total of $5.5 million in federal funding for the replacement of BAT buses.  All told, this funding will allow BAT to purchase 24 new buses for its fleet.

 

These 24 buses are eligible for replacement funding because they have been in service for over 12 years.  Additionally, 15 of these buses have logged more than 350,000 miles in service.

 

The cost of replacing each coach is approximately $300,000, and BAT intends to complete this replacement program in phases over the next few years.

 

Lynch added, "Nearly half the cities and towns in my District will benefit from these new buses.  And we all know that it would never have been possible without the leadership of Mayor Yunits, Ray Ledoux of the Brockton Area Transit Authority and the entire Brockton delegation."

 

Brockton Area Transit Authority has an annual operating budget of nearly $10.5 million and accommodates over 3.4 million passengers each year with its fixed-route and elderly/disabled transportation services.  It serves the communities of Brockton, Abington, Avon, Easton, East Bridgewater, West Bridgewater, Randolph, Stoughton, and Whitman. 

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