SALEM, OR — Expanded hours of service, new low- and no-emission buses, new shelters, more routes: these improvements and more — totaling $62 million — were recently approved by the Oregon Transportation Commission. This is the second round of applications for the new Oregon Statewide Transportation Improvement Fund, or STIF, and it includes applications from 22 eligible transit providers.

The funds will help expand transit services in communities around the state to better serve Oregonians. The emphasis is on increasing frequency, reducing fares for low-income communities, purchasing low- or no-emission buses in urban areas, improving connections between cities and more.

With the approval, the total estimated measurable project benefits and outcomes in service improvements or expansions for the entire 2019-2021 biennium are as follows:

• 37 million new transit trips
• 215 million new miles of service by buses
• 1.6 million low-income households will be within half a mile of a transit stop
• 89 new low- or no-emission buses
• 497,000 new transit trips for high school students
• 2,097 units of equipment, such as security cameras, bus shelters and bus charging infrastructure

The list of the 22 recipients and details of their approved plans are available on the STIF website.