This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Utah Transit Authority won a $4.27 million federal grant on Thursday to replace some buses now at the end of their useful life.
UTA spokesman Remi Barron said eight buses built between 1999 and 2001 will be replaced with new models that use either natural gas or clean diesel fuel. He said they will "put out at least 15 times less particulate emissions."
The funding was part of $211 million worth of U.S. Department of Transportation grants awarded Thursday to 61 bus projects in 41 states.
Demand for those Federal Transportation Administration Bus Program grants far exceeded available funds. The agency received 284 applications seeking $1.64 billion in funding in 47 states.
"The Obama Administration is committed to improving transportation options," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx as the grants were announced.
Carolyn Flowers, acting administrator of the FTA, added, "Maintaining our public-transit systems in a state of good repair is vitally important to meet the needs of today's transit riders and a growing population."