Sec. 2805. National advanced technology transit bus development program
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The Secretary shall establish a national advanced technology transit bus development program to facilitate the development and testing of commercially viable advanced technology transit buses that do not exceed a Level 3 automated driving system and related infrastructure. There shall be available $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025. The Secretary may enter into grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements with no more than three geographically diverse nonprofit organizations and recipients under chapter 53 of title 49, United States Code, to facilitate the development and testing of commercially viable advance technology transit buses and related infrastructure.
The Secretary shall consider the applicant’s— ability to contribute significantly to furthering advanced technologies as it relates to transit bus operations, including advanced driver assistance systems, automatic emergency braking, accessibility, and energy efficiency; financing plan and cost share potential; technical experience developing or testing advanced technologies in transit buses; commitment to frontline worker involvement; and other criteria that the Secretary determines are necessary to carry out the program.
The Secretary shall not consider applicants working on autonomous vehicles. The Secretary shall conduct a national solicitation for applications for grants under the program. Grant recipients shall be selected on a competitive basis. The Secretary shall give priority consideration to applicants that have successfully managed advanced transportation technology projects, including projects related to public transportation operations for a period of not less than 5 years. As a condition of receiving an award in (c), the Secretary shall ensure— that the selected non-profit recipients subsequently establish a consortia for each proposal submitted, including representatives from a labor union, transit agency, an FTA-designated university bus and component testing center, a Buy America compliant transit bus manufacturer, and others as determined by the Secretary; that no proposal selected would decrease workplace or passenger safety; and that no proposal selected would undermine the creation of high-quality jobs or workforce support and development programs.
The Federal share of costs of the program shall be provided from funds made available to carry out this section. The Federal share of the cost of a project carried out under the program shall not exceed 80 percent of such cost.