SPOKANE, Wash. — United States Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao announced on Tuesday that the Spokane Transit Authority will receive a $23.4 million grant as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security ACT, better known as CARES.
The STA will use the funds provided by the grant to cover operating and administrative costs as well as preventative maintenance during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a release from the United States Department of Transportation.
The grant is part of $25 billion in funding being given out across the country, according to Chao.
“These federal funds will support operating assistance to transit agencies of all sizes providing essential travel and supporting transit workers across the country who are unable to work because of the public health emergency," Federal Transit Administration Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams is quoted as saying in the release.
The FTA has also issued an advisory to transit agencies to create policies regarding face coverings and other Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), proper cleaning practices and physical distancing during the pandemic.