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 Grants
• Section 5337, State of Good Repair Grants
• Section 5310, Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities Formula Grants
• Section 5339, Bus and Bus Facilities Formula Grants

Section 5307 funds generally support the operations, preventative maintenance, and capital projects of bus-based transit services, and the capital projects of fixed-guideway transit services. Section 5337 funds generally support the capital projects of fixed-guideway transit service.

The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) brought a historic increase in federal funding for transit. The region's apportionments for fiscal year 2022 are:

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

Allocating the Funding

Allocation of Section 5307 and 5337 funds is done through collaboration of PACTS and the region's transit agencies via annual updates to the region's Five-Year Capital and Operations 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 of Section 5307 and 5337 funds, 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—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 2022 PACTS FYCOP was approved by the PACTS Policy Board on June 28, 2022. 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 is allocating 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.