Transit Funding

Each year, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) apportions funding to metropolitan regions across the US. As the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for the Portland region, one responsibility of PACTS is the annual programming of these funding sources, including:

  • Section 5307—Urbanized Area Formula Grant, which generally supports the operations, preventive maintenance, and capital projects of bus-based transit services, and the capital projects of fixed-guideway transit services. 
  • Section 5310—Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities Formula Grants, which generally supports projects that remove barriers to transportation service and expand mobility options for seniors and individuals with disabilities.
  • Section 5337—State of Good Repair Grants,which generally supports the capital projects of fixed-guideway transit service. 
  • Section 5339(a)—Bus and Bus Facilities Formula Grants, which generally supports capital projects to replace, rehabilitate, and purchase buses, vans, and related equipment; and to construct bus-related facilities. 

The region's apportionments for fiscal year 2023 are:

ProgramFY 2023 Apportionment 
Section 5307, Urbanized Area Formula Grants
$14,002,295
Section 5310, Enhanced Mobility of Seniors & Individuals with Disabilities Formula Grants
$305,735
Section 5337, State of Good Repair Grants (Eligible Agencies: Casco Bay Lines, NNEPRA)
$13,098,116
Section 5339, Bus and Bus Facilities Formula Grant 
$299,970


For more information about FTA funding programs or nationwide apportionment amounts, visit transit.dot.gov.

Allocating the Funding

We suballocate the funding to the region’s seven transit agencies through annual updates to the Five-Year Capital and Operating Plan (FYCOP). The FYCOP is rooted in the agencies' five-year projections for operations, preventative maintenance, capital project, and other funding needs. Based on the region's annual apportionments, PACTS and the transit agencies work together to develop a balanced budget for the next five years. Once the annual FYCOP is approved by PACTS, staff develops a split letter—which documents the region's agreed upon split of FTA funding to each transit agency for the current year—and submits it to the FTA. 

In developing the budget, some agencies' projects may remain unfunded given projected funding allocations. Those unfunded project needs are tracked in the FYCOP, and the relevant transit agency is encouraged to pursue discretionary grant funding for the project. For example, FTA offers funding for bus transit operators through Section 5339, Bus and Bus Facilities Grants or Section 5339(c), Low- or No-Emission Vehicle Program Grants. 

Current FYCOP

The 2023 PACTS FYCOP was approved by the PACTS Policy Board on May 23, 2023. It is available for viewing here. 

Pandemic Relief Funding

PACTS has been the recipient of two federal sources of pandemic relief funding for transit: the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). 

In close coordination with the region’s seven transit agencies, PACTS has allocated this funding in support of ensuring continued operations of the region’s transit providers, and encouraging long-term ridership recovery as the pandemic subsides.

Click the links to the left to learn more about each program.