The House passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 with amendments on March 10, 2021, and President Biden has signed the bill into law. The bill includes $30.5 billion for the transit industry as well as $1.7 billion for Amtrak. This bill delivers an estimated $250M to Missouri transit providers to continue to provide service to essential workers, ensure access to vaccine distribution sites and advance communities’ efforts to rebuild the nation’s economy.
The $30 billion for transit includes $26.1 billion in grants for transit agencies located in areas with 50,000 or more people, $280.9 million for rural transit agencies, $100 million for rural intercity bus service and $2.2 billion for the administration to allocate to transit agencies with greatest needs.
“Right now, Missouri transit providers are working tirelessly to provide as much service as possible, but they are facing dropping fare box recovery, increased expenses from new cleaning protocols and significant driver absenteeism yet still delivering essential personnel to their jobs including nurses, doctors, first responders and more. They have our communities’ backs, and this relief package ensures they stay on track,” said Kim Cella, executive director of Citizens for Modern Transit.
This will be the third round of emergency funding relief provided to the industry following the $25 billion provided through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was signed into law in late March 2020 and the $14 billion provided through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act of 2021, which was signed into law in late December 2020.
| American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 | |
| Approximate Transit Funding Levels in MO | |
| 5307 Funding | Amount |
| Cape Girardeau MO-IL * | $ 475,195 |
| Columbia, MO | $ 2,783,337 |
| Jefferson City, MO | $ 670,712 |
| Joplin, MO | $ 281,000 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS * | $ 66,051,552 |
| Springfield, MO | $ 4,447,855 |
| St. Joseph, MO-KS * | $ 2,661,499 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL* | $ 167,080,260 |
| Total 5307 | $ 244,451,410 |
| 5311 Program | $ 9,058,625 |
| 5310 Funding (Paratransit) | |
| Kansas City, MO-KS* | $ 237,773 |
| Springfield, MO | $ 50,792 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL* | $ 352,003 |
| Urbanized Areas 50,000 to 199,999 | $ 141,054 |
| Nonurbanized areas less than $50,000 | $ 307,545 |
| Total 5311 Funding | $ 1,089,167 |
| Total Funding to MO Transit Providers | $ 254,599,202 |
*These providers will share a portion of the funding with the other states that are a part of their region.