HR 5230119th CongressIn Committee

Faster Buses Better Futures Act

Introduced: Sep 9, 2025

Infrastructure

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Faster Buses Better Futures Act would dramatically expand federal support for local bus systems with a multi-pronged approach: redesigning bus networks to boost ridership and climate benefits, expanding bus stop infrastructure, improving accessibility for people with disabilities, and prioritizing transit within street and corridor projects. The bill creates a new, competitive Bus Network Redesign Grants program and sets ambitious requirements for networks to increase ridership (proposing a 100% ridership increase within six years for redesigns). It would provide substantial funding (with specific authorizations for 2026–2030) to cover capital, operating cost differences during the redesign, shelter installations, and accessibility upgrades, while also promoting transit priority measures in public rights-of-way. The act emphasizes equity, requiring data collection and reporting on impacts in underserved communities and areas of persistent poverty. It also directs related spending through provisions on purchasing for bus stop equipment and enhancing transit agency staffing. In short, the bill aims to accelerate bus network overhauls, fund practical improvements at stops and stations, and push for faster, more reliable, and more equitable bus service as a climate-friendly transportation option.

Key Points

1Bus Network Redesign Grants
2- Establishes a competitive grants program under 5307/5339 to fund eligible entities (recipients of 5307 or 5311) to conduct a fixed-route bus network redesign.
3- Requirements include an overview of current and redesigned networks, impact analysis on service hours and route miles, and a demonstration that the redesign can increase transit ridership by 100% within six years.
4- Strong emphasis on equity, requiring analysis of disparities in ridership and access across demographic groups and persistent poverty areas.
5- Federal share is 80% for eligible projects; for the first three years of operating cost differences, the federal share would be 100% (then 33% thereafter).
6- Prioritizes grants that promise the largest percentage ridership increases.
7- Redesigns must meet defined standards and may not rely on microtransit, automated buses, or fare elimination as primary strategies.
8Funding and Timeline
9- Substantial new funding authorizations: up to $250 billion for 2026–2030 to support the bus network redesign grants; an additional $20 billion authorization for 2026–2030 under subsection 5339 for specific grant activities.
10- New requirement for plans to complete a redesign by fiscal year 2045, with ongoing accountability for 20-year redesign history.
11Bus Stop Shelter Reimbursement Program
12- Creates a program to reimburse eligible entities for installing bus stop shelters, with annual reimbursement amounts set to preserve purchasing power and discourage inflation.
13- Requires a formal process for shelter installation, including a detailed shelter plan, location priorities (with equity considerations), weather standards, and coordination with other capital projects (e.g., 5309 projects and transit priority measures).
14- Federal funding: $1 billion per year for 2026–2030.
15All Stations Accessibility Program
16- Grants to upgrade accessibility at covered stations to meet ADA Title II standards, with a 90% federal share.
17- Eligible costs include repairing or relocating station infrastructure, accessibility planning, and related improvements; funding available for 2026–2030 with a multi-year availability window.
18Transit Priority Measures
19- Requires cooperation between transit providers and right-of-way owners to enable transit priority measures on suitable corridors.
20- Establishes a framework for formal requests, federal review, and potential penalties (including loss of discretionary grants to non-compliant parties).
21- Allows for in-kind matches (up to 25% of non-Federal share) from related capital improvements.
22- Defines “suitable corridors” and outlines what kinds of priority measures may be deployed (e.g., transit-friendly intersections, streets, and stops, with specific examples like signals, turn restrictions, and transit-only lanes).
23Additional Provisions (Overview)
24- Section 5 (State purchasing for bus stop equipment) and Section 6 (FTA staffing and administrative funding) appear to provide implementing mechanisms and organizational support to administer the programs.
25- Emphasis on data reporting to the National Transit Database and ongoing rider/nonrider surveys to assess impacts on persistent poverty and underserved communities.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected- Local and regional transit agencies (recipients of 5307/5311 funds) implementing bus network redesigns.- Bus riders, especially in areas of persistent poverty and underserved communities, whose service patterns, accessibility, and reliability are targeted for improvement.- People with disabilities benefiting from improved station accessibility.Secondary group/area affected- Communities with historically limited transit service access, including youth, seniors, and low-income residents.- Public rights-of-way owners (e.g., municipal and state agencies) required to participate in transit priority measures and corridor projects.- Labor and vendors involved in bus stop equipment, shelter construction, and related capital improvements.Additional impacts- Potential climate benefits from shifting more travel to efficient fixed-route bus networks and increasing transit ridership.- Economic considerations for transit agencies (initial operating cost increases during redesigns, offset by higher federal match in early years).- Changes to capital planning and coordination across transit, highway, and land-use projects due to formalized transit priority measures and interagency collaboration.- Administrative and reporting burdens on agencies to collect equity data, rider surveys, and National Transit Database submissions.Eligible bus network redesign: A comprehensive effort to reconfigure fixed-route bus networks to boost overall ridership (target: 100% increase within six years), with strong equity outreach and a plan that avoids over-reliance on technologies like microtransit or fare elimination.Areas of persistent poverty: Geographic areas defined by high poverty rates over recent decades, used to target equity-focused investments.Suitable corridors: Rights-of-way with frequent bus service or multiple lanes suitable for implementing transit priority measures.Transit priority measures: Techniques to speed and improve bus service on corridors, such as signals, turn restrictions, dedicated transit lanes, and intersection improvements.

Generated by gpt-5-nano on Oct 8, 2025