WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) awarded a $585,000 grant to the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) to improve transit services.

“Clevelanders rely on GCRTA buses to take them to work, school, or a game at Progressive Field and then to take them safely back home again,” said Brown. “By investing in transportation planning at GCRTA, we can improve service for riders and help the community have better access to safe and reliable transportation.”

“GCRTA is very appreciative of Senator Brown’s support for public transportation and his efforts in supporting this grant funding,” said GCRTA General Manager and Chief Executive Officer India Birdsong. “This grant will allow us to improve transit utilization in high poverty locations that we already serve by eliminating barriers to the use of our services in our mission to Connect the Community.”

Brown – who serves as the chairman of the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, which oversees DOT’s Federal Transit Administration – has championed federal investment to support Ohio’s local transit authorities. The grant was awarded through the Areas of Persistent Poverty Program which provides grants for planning, engineering, or financial plans to improve transit services in areas experiencing long-term economic distress.

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