FREDERICK, MD – On Friday, February 28, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02), co-chair of the Congressional Bus Caucus, joined Rep. David Trone (MD-06) and local officials to highlight the importance of federal investment in bus innovation and green technology for public transportation projects. Larsen will tour Frederick County’s electric bus fleet facility and a local solar array that powers several County government buildings and the fleet.

“As someone who uses public transportation every day, I understand the importance of safe, efficient and affordable public transit systems, especially buses, for hardworking Americans,” said Larsen, a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “Electric buses have major economic and environmental benefits for cities like Frederick and my hometown of Everett, including reduced maintenance costs and lower energy consumption. I will continue to support federal funding to develop more environmentally friendly transportation systems.”

According to the Bus Coalition, buses provide 51 percent of transit trips per year in the U.S. In Washington state, buses made up more than 83 percent of the 241 million public transportation trips statewide in 2018. However, in recent years, diverted resources from federal bus programs have caused considerable challenges for local transit agencies. According to the Federal Transit Administration, the percentage of buses operating past their useful life has increased by 47 percent, while bus fleet size has shrunk by 18 percent nationwide.

Larsen is a champion of robust federal investment in bus transit to keep the economy thriving and commuters traveling to work, school and back home. Larsen advocated for federal grant funding which enabled Everett Transit and Whatcom Transit Authority to purchase electric buses. In 2017, Larsen cofounded the bipartisan Congressional Bus Caucus with then-Congressman David Young (IA-03) to promote the benefits of long-term federal investment in the nation’s bus systems, address the challenges of an aging bus fleet and advance technological innovation in transit. The current co-chair is Rep. Darin LaHood (IL-18).

Earlier this year, House Democrats introduced the “Moving Forward” infrastructure plan, which includes several of Larsen’s infrastructure priorities like greater investments in small- and medium-sized communities, zero-emission buses and programs to better prepare the future transportation workforce. The plan also boosts federal funding to enable transit authorities to acquire buses, invests in bus facilities and proposes reforms to ensure federal funding formulas prioritize more efficient service.

For a brief video on Larsen’s visit to Frederick, click here.

To read more about the Congressional Bus Caucus, click here.

To read more about House Democrats’ “Moving Forward” framework, click here.