The Lafayette Consolidated Government (LCG) has announced, through the Lafayette Transit System (LTS), that it has secured 2,985,000 USD in competitive Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Grant funding to replace aging buses, modernise maintenance infrastructure, and continue improving public transportation services throughout Lafayette Parish.
Administered through the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD); the grants were awarded through the reallocation of unused federal transit funds, with Lafayette selected as one of a handful of transit systems to receive funding statewide.
The Lafayette Transit System received 1,785,000 USD through the Federal Fiscal Year 2025 Rural Section 5339 Bus and Bus Facilities Program – funds that were awarded from unused federal transit funding that became available for redistribution across Louisiana.
Other transit agencies to receive funding include Baton Rouge and New Orleans, with a total funding pool of approximately 4 million USD made available through the competitive process.
Elsewhere, LTS received 1,200,000 USD through the FTA Section 5307 Small Urban Areas Program using lapsing Fiscal Year 2021 and Fiscal Year 2022 federal transit funds, and was one of three transit systems statewide (alongside Monroe and Alexandria) to receive funding from a pool of approximately 4.8 million USD.
All federal funding will be utilised to support a number of critical capital improvements, including:
- Replacement of aging transit buses that have exceeded their useful service life
- Upgrades to the compressed natural gas (CNG) fuelling facility
- Installation of heavy-duty vehicle maintenance lifts
- Modernisation of the diesel fuel dispensing system
The improvements are expected to increase fleet reliability, improve preventive maintenance capabilities, reduce downtime, enhance passenger safety and comfort, and lower long-term operating costs.
Mayor-President Monique B. Boulet said:Reliable public transportation strengthens our workforce, supports economic opportunity, and connects residents to the services they depend on every day.
These competitive federal investments allow Lafayette to continue modernising our transit system while being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars. By investing in safer buses and more efficient maintenance facilities today, we are building a stronger, more reliable transit system for the future.
The new grants are intended to complement the Lafayette Transit System’s ongoing fleet modernisation initiative, with Phase II of the agency’s fleet replacement program set to see LTS introduce five new 35-foot Gillig, low-floor transit buses into service – with three buses planned for use on LTS routes and the remaining two intended for use by UL Lafayette.
Phase III, which will consist of the introduction of five additional buses, is anticipated in early 2027. Upon completion of the wider initiative, Lafayette Transit System will have added 14 new transit buses representing approximately 9.6 million USD in fleet modernisation investments.
