MO-2022-028

Purpose:

Bi-State Development Agency is submitting this application to apply for the funds awarded in the Fiscal Year 2021 Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities - Section 5339(b) as published in the tables referenced in the March 18, 2022 Federal Register (Volume 87, No. 53). The agency's total award for the fiscal year under this program is $4,098,410. Total federal funds of $4,098,410 are being requested in this application; BSDA will provide a local match of $1,756,461 for a total of $5,854,871 in projects being programmed in this application. BSD match is derived from local sales tax.

To date, the FY2021 Section 5339(b) Buses and Bus Facilities - Competitive funds have been applied as follows:
- $4,098,410 - FY2021 allocation to Bi-State Development Agency, St. Louis, MO (Metro)
- $4,098,410 - Applying for in this application
- $0 - Remaining funds to program at a later date

Activities to be performed:

Funds in this application will support the integration of the next group of zero-emission battery-electric buses into our existing bus fleet at the DeBaliviere Bus Facility in St. Louis, MO. The project supports the incremental purchase price of up to six 40-ft battery-electric buses, which is a 1:1 replacement of existing 40-ft diesel buses. The Metro Transit System continues incorporating battery-electric buses into its fleet through the routine replacement of diesel buses that have met or will have met their 12-year useful life at the time they are taken out of service. This application also supports related infrastructure activities such as engineering and design services, required infrastructure improvements at the DeBaliviere Bus Garage to accommodate charging stations for the electric bus fleet, chargers, and related training and technical support services rendered by an industry consultant. The detailed description of each activity being programmed in this award is listed in the extended budget description and uploaded to the application documents section of this application (POP_1830-2022-8_FY2021 SEC 5339B).

Expected outcomes:

Along with supporting the goals of the Justice40 Initiative by serving disadvantaged populations in the City of St. Louis, MO, the outcomes of this project will support clean air initiatives, which call for the reduction of harmful emissions, direct carbon emissions, and energy consumption. These outcomes support the region's environmental sustainability goals and overall efforts to improve air quality.

Intended beneficiaries:

The activities in this project will benefit the community immediately surrounding the DeBaliviere Bus Facility, as well as along the bus routes that operate from the facility.

Subrecipient activities:

No subrecipient activities are being programmed into this application.

TIP/STIP program:

Projects identified in this application are included in the FY2021-2024 Transportation Improvement Programs approved by the East West Gateway Board of Directors on August 26, 2020. One DOT letter issued on September 10, 2020, approves the inclusion of the aforementioned TIPs in the STIP (Missouri). Documentation of these program plan inclusions and approval letters have been uploaded to the application documents section of this application. Relative pages for the activities programmed into this application have been extracted from the TIP document and uploaded to the project plan information section of this application.

Required certifications/statements:

The Section 3019 of the FAST Act requires that grants for buses and bus facilities formula and competitive program recipients, to the extent possible, use innovative procurement tools in the vehicle acquisition process. Bi-State currently uses a standard competitive RFP process in which the highest-ranking firm is awarded the contract. We currently have an IDIQ (Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity) contract for heavy-duty buses (which includes electric buses) awarded to Gillig as a result of this competitive process. A five-year procurement contract was awarded to Gillig in 2021. A task order is issued against this contract in a specified quantity and dollar amount as buses are needed for replacement under Metro's vehicle replacement plan. Metro uses a third party for on-site vehicle inspections on revenue vehicles. These services ensure that each vehicle being procured is manufactured in compliance with all FTA regulations stated in 49 CFR Part 661 and 663.37 and complies with the specifications of the order. Bi-State will conduct the required pre-award and post-award Buy America reviews and submit those reviews to the FTA Region VII office. All Buy America pre-award documents are provided by the OEM, and content is audited to verify the manufacturer will meet the pre-award purchaser's requirement under 49 CFR 663.27 and the FMVSS certification under 49 CFR 663.41 at the pre-audit phase. At this phase, it is confirmed that the final assembly is completed in a facility in the United States. As required by the FTA, the in-plant inspector will visually verify components listed on the Buy America component list are actually installed on the vehicle.

The post-delivery documents are generated by a Buy America compliance auditor employed by the inspection contractor. They will review all supporting documentation and certify that the manufacturer meets the requirements of the post-delivery Buy America certification under 49 CFR 663.35, the post-delivery purchaser's requirement certification under 49 CFR 663.41, and the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard certification under 49 CFR 663.41. The post-delivery audit will again confirm the manufacturer completed the manufacturing process in the United States.

MS 06-07-2022

The Bi State Development Agency Of The Mo Il Metro Dist

20.526 - Buses and Bus Facilities Formula, Competitive, and Low or No Emissions Programs

FTA Region 7 [DOT - FTA]

FTA Office of Budget and Policy [DOT - FTA]

Missouri United States

State-Wide

None