Home » Santa Clarita News » Coronavirus » Over $20 Million Grant Awarded To Santa Clarita Transit For COVID-19 Response 

Over $20 Million Grant Awarded To Santa Clarita Transit For COVID-19 Response 

An over $20 million grant has been awarded to Santa Clarita Transit for the agency’s response to COVID-19, officials said.

The grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is part of $25 trillion in funding offered by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed by President Donald J. Trump on March 27.

“During these trying times, these grant funds will allow Santa Clarita Transit to continue to provide reliable transportation to the community,” said Adrian Aguilar, Santa Clarita Transit, manager. 

A portion of these funds are already being put to use to provide free rides to all passengers, according to Aguilar.

“Not only does this cut the cost of their daily commute, it also increases safety by eliminating the need to deposit the fare in the farebox, which is next to the driver,” Aguilar said. “This allows for riders and drivers to maintain the mandated six-feet of social distancing.”

In addition to the CARES Act funding, FTA issued a Safety Advisory that prompts transit agencies to develop and implement policies and procedures regarding face coverings and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), cleaning and disinfection of frequently touched surfaces, physical separation, and hand hygiene consistent with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidance.  

CARES Act funding can be used to cover 100 percent of these costs, according to the FTA.

“This historic $25 billion in grant funding will ensure our nation’s public transportation systems can continue to provide services to the millions of Americans who continue to depend on them,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.

This funding comes after multiple Santa Clarita Transit employees have died after contracting COVID-19.

See Related: At Least Two Additional Santa Clarita Transit Drivers Confirmed To Have Coronavirus

The exact number of drivers with COVID-19 is not being released due to privacy, according to Jeff Womack, chief marketing officer for the company that operates the bus system, MV Transportation.

MV Transportation is continuing to follow its protocol of notifying employees who were in close contact with these individuals and asking them to self-quarantine for 14 days, according to Womack.

All vehicles driven by these individuals, workspaces and other areas of the operation have received a deep cleaning – in addition to their normal at-least-daily deep cleaning of vehicles and facilities, according to MV Transportation.

“We know many of our nation’s public transportation systems are facing extraordinary challenges and these funds will go a long way to assisting our transit industry partners in battling COVID-19,” said FTA Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams. “These federal funds will support operating assistance to transit agencies of all sizes providing essential travel and supporting transit workers across the country who are unable to work because of the public health emergency.”


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Over $20 Million Grant Awarded To Santa Clarita Transit For COVID-19 Response 

5 comments

  1. To bad CDC didn’t instruct everyone at work and in public to wear face covering from the start like they were supposed to do with is sort of virus outbreak. Then those bus drivers and the thousands of others could still be alive

  2. First line of story…$25 Trillion ?.. It was big..$2 Trillion..but not that big…yet.

  3. Wow, I wonder how much of this money will end up in their pockets. From the beginning, they did nothing to protect their employees. It was weeks before they got gloves and masks. Also the Mayor lying about sending boxes of supplies to Santa Clarita Transit! Shame shame on this city bureaucrats. Those drivers did not have to die, they only cleaned this buses for a foto shoot. They have nor done some of the thing to protect their drivers.

  4. Hahahahaha!!! “At least once a day deep cleaning of the bus”
    Former driver here, those busses are filthy. The cleaning they had done when I was driving was a sweep and mop; no surfaces were cleaned and the drivers compartment was definitely not cleaned. I remember one time a fight happened on the bus and blood got everywhere, there was dried blood on the seats next time I was in there.

  5. , I wonder how much of the money will go to Santa Clarita Transit bus drivers that works in the covid-19 that has contracted covid-19 or pneumonia that went to work everyday at risk of catching covid-19 I do know the drivers haven’t got any Hazard pay or anyting and this isn’t right some of that money should have went to the bus drivers Who provided transportation and this epidemic

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About Devon Miller

Devon Miller was born and raised in Santa Clarita. He joined KHTS Radio as a digital marketing intern in September of 2017, and later moved to news as a staff writer in December. Miller attended College of the Canyons and served as the Associated Student Government President. Miller is now News Director for KHTS, covering breaking news and politics across the Santa Clarita Valley.