H.R. 5230 — Faster Buses Better Futures Act

This section establishes the short title of the Act as the “Faster Buses Better Futures Act” and sets forth the table of contents.

This section amends the Federal Transit laws (49 U.S.C. ch. 53) as follows: (1) in section 5307(c)(1), adds a new eligibility requirement for urbanized area formula grants (i.e., funds for capital and some operating costs of transit in urban areas with populations over 200,000), requiring recipients to plan a bus network redesign by FY2045 and complete one every 20 years thereafter; (2) in section 5339(b), revises grant considerations for buses and bus facilities to prioritize recipients of new bus network redesign grants who increased ridership, and authorizes $20 billion for such grants for FY2026 through FY2030; and (3) adds section 5339(e) to establish a competitive grant program—administered by the Federal Transit Administration not later than 720 days after enactment—for eligible entities (e.g., transit agencies, Indian tribes) that complete a bus network redesign projected to increase ridership by 100% within 6 years, address equity and mobility gaps (e.g., in persistent poverty or underserved communities), and detail implementation costs and projects (e.g., fleet expansion, new garages). Grants under the new program may fund eligible projects at 80% federal share and cover the difference in fixed-route bus operating costs, with 100% federal share for the first 3 years after award and 33% for the next 3 years. Grant conditions require reporting to the National Transit Database on service metrics (e.g., vehicle revenue hours, passenger trips, access to jobs in underserved areas) and biennial surveys of riders and non-riders in such areas to assess improvements.

This section establishes in 49 U.S.C. §5337(g) a bus stop shelter reimbursement program authorizing $1 billion annually for FY2026 through 2030 to reimburse eligible entities (i.e., recipients or subrecipients under §§5307 or 5311) for installing bus stop shelters that meet Secretary-determined weather standards (covering precipitation, heat, sunshine, and extreme cold), provide seating, and include real-time transit arrival signage. The program requires an annual formal process, including submission of a bus shelter plan identifying priority stops lacking shelter or seating with consideration for equity among low-income, senior, and communities of color riders, progress reports, coordination with other capital projects (e.g., under §5309 or §5323(w)), and verification of installations within 270-365 days of the notice of funding opportunity; reimbursements are subject to §5307 grant requirements and set at levels maintaining purchasing power, discouraging inflation, and incentivizing federally scheduled products. This section also establishes in 49 U.S.C. §5337(h) an all stations accessibility program under which the Secretary may make grants to eligible entities for capital projects upgrading covered stations to meet title II construction standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. §12131 et seq.), including repairing or improving station infrastructure, developing accessibility plans, or other compliant projects. Grants are ineligible for already accessible stations but available for non-accessible ones even if overall services are readily accessible; applications must detail projected accessibility gains and improvements in access to jobs, community activities, and essential destinations.

This section requires owners of public rights-of-way (i.e., typically state or local highway authorities) to cooperate with transit providers to ensure reliable, frequent service for at-grade transit vehicles (e.g., buses sharing road space with other traffic) and to implement transit priority measures (e.g., dedicated lanes, signal priority, queue jumps) requested via formal request on suitable corridors, including through specified collaboration such as 180-day responses on costs and timelines, incorporation into projects starting within 365 days of enactment, and amendments to transportation improvement programs. If disputes arise, the relevant Federal Transit Administration (FTA) regional office must defer to the transit provider unless the right-of-way owner provides evidence that implementation would threaten the public transportation system's state of good repair (even after reallocating funds from single-occupancy vehicle capacity projects) or that projected benefits are incorrect based on modeling and real-world examples and the corridor is unsuitable. (Thus, this provision prioritizes transit enhancements in metropolitan and statewide planning under 49 U.S.C. 5303 and 5304.) Transit providers are prohibited from reducing fixed-route service frequency to manufacture suitable corridors, with FTA enforcement via a one-year ban on discretionary grants for violations by either party; additionally, 25% of non-Federal project match may derive from associated capital improvements.

This section authorizes a state to enter into a cooperative procurement contract with one or more vendors as lead procurement agency for transit equipment—including bus stop shelters, signage tracking transit vehicle arrival times, and protected modular bicycle parking and charging infrastructure—provided each vendor offers a purchase option to the state and any other grantee. The section applies Buy America requirements (49 U.S.C. §5323(j)) to such procurements and defines "grantee" as a recipient or subrecipient of assistance under 49 U.S.C. chapters 53 (public transportation) or 229 (railroad safety).

This section authorizes to be appropriated $200 million for each of FY2026 through FY2030 for Federal Transit Administration salaries and administrative expenses related to implementing the Act and its amendments, including (1) assistance to eligible entities pursuing bus network redesigns; (2) assistance to such entities on environmental review, planning, engineering, and design for eligible projects from inception through construction start; (3) adjudication of disputes between transit providers and right-of-way holders over transit priority measures; and (4) research, independently and with University Transportation Centers, on international best standards for transit planning, design, engineering, construction, operation, and maintenance, with dissemination to eligible entities and private industry.