The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration on Wednesday announced a $2.3 million grant award to Jefferson City's JeffTran program.
The grant was awarded as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act signed March 27 by President Donald Trump.
JeffTran will use the funding to support transit operations, including driver salaries, fuel, personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a news release from FTA.
Jefferson City Transit Division Director Mark Mehmert said the funds will help balance the losses the program has experienced during the pandemic.
"It'll definitely be helpful for us to kind of fill in areas where we've had increased expenses - PPE and cleaning supplies and items we use for cleaning, as well as services that come in and clean," Mehmert said. "It will also help us with additional losses we've had due to COVID-19 - fewer people riding the bus and less revenue - so it really helps balance the system."
Mehmert said JeffTran's ridership numbers have been down, especially for the para-transit system, HandiWheels.
"They have been coming back slowly, but at the moment we're still down substantially," Mehmert said.
Adding to the loss of revenue, JeffTran fares were suspended for almost two months to prevent contact between riders and drivers.
The $2.3 million grant will help the city recoup those losses, Mehmert said.
The FTA is allocating $25 billion for public transportation across the nation. Funding is provided at a 100 percent federal share with no local match required.