With the Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority losing most bus fares and parking income during the current coronavirus crisis, the federal government is giving Chattanooga’s bus service nearly $12 million of additional aid to help sustain its operations.
U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Chattanooga, said Monday that Federal Transit Administration funds are being allocated through the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security) Act to provide over $11.9 million of extra assistance for CARTA. The federal aid is designated for the bus system’s operating, administrative and preventive maintenance costs to respond to and recover from COVID-19.
CARTA curtailed some of its operations in March and on April 13 waived bus fares to facilitate rear boarding and limited seating on each bus to no more than 10 persons per vehicle to limit the potential spread of the coronavirus. The stay-at-home orders and move to keep most downtown office workers doing their jobs at home has also cut parking fee income at the CARTA shuttle garages and forced the closing of the Incline Railway.
At the same time as the bus service and Incline has lost revenue, CARTA has incurred extra expenses for giving all drivers personal protection equipment and performing more cleaning and sanitizing of buses.
Lisa Maragnano, executive director for CARTA, said she expects the extra federal aid will be used over the next couple of years as CARTA adjusts to the changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.