Federal grant supports new Grand Valley Transit buses

Three new paratransit buses will soon be added to the Grand Valley Transit fleet. The Mesa County Regional Transportation Planning Office successfully applied for federal grants of over half a million dollars to purchase the buses.

At the Oct. 6 public hearing, commissioners approved the $758,691 purchase order for the buses. The match ratio for bus expenses is 85% federal to 15% local. The Federal Transit Administration grant covered $644,877 and the Grand Valley Regional Transportation Committee was responsible for the local 15%, $113,804.

These buses will have the ability to carry up to 12 passengers and have five wheelchair positions, an increase from the normal two-wheelchair positions, in order to accommodate more people in wheelchairs on one bus. 

The buses run on compressed natural gas, and a portion of that fuel comes from the Persigo Wastewater Plant between Grand Junction and Fruita.

Paratransit buses that run on CNG cost approximately $30,000 to $50,000 more than a diesel bus depending on vendor and bus type, but the higher price tag is offset by the lower cost of fueling the buses with CNG.