The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is an agency within the

United States Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the President of the United States and ...

(DOT) that provides financial and technical assistance to local

public transportation Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...

systems. The FTA is one of ten modal administrations within the DOT. Headed by an Administrator who is appointed by the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...

, the FTA functions through Washington, D.C headquarters office and ten regional offices which assist transit agencies in all states, the

District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle (Washington, D.C.), Logan Circle, Jefferson Memoria ...

, and the territories. Until 1991, it was known as the Urban Mass Transportation Administration (UMTA). Public transportation includes buses, subways, light rail,

commuter rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are con ...

monorail A monorail (from "mono", meaning "one", and " rail") is a railway in which the track consists of a single rail or a beam. Colloquially, the term "monorail" is often used to describe any form of elevated rail or people mover. More accurat ...

, passenger

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water ta ...

boats, trolleys,

inclined railway Incline, inclined, inclining, or inclination may refer to: *Grade (slope), the tilt, steepness, or angle from horizontal of a topographic feature (hillside, meadow, etc.) or constructed element (road, railway, field, etc.) *Slope, the tilt, steepn ...

s, and

people mover A people mover or automated people mover (APM) is a type of small scale automated guideway transit system. The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks. ...

s. The federal government, through the FTA, provides financial assistance to develop new transit systems and improve, maintain, and operate existing systems. The FTA oversees grants to state and local transit providers, primarily through its ten regional offices. These providers are responsible for managing their programs in accordance with federal requirements, and the FTA is responsible for ensuring that grantees follow federal mandates along with statutory and administrative requirements.

History

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy sent a major transportation message to the U.S. Congress. It called for the establishment of a program of federal capital assistance for mass transportation. Said President Kennedy: "To conserve and enhance values in existing urban areas is essential. But at least as important are steps to promote economic efficiency and

livability Quality of life (QOL) is defined by the World Health Organization as "an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standard ...

in areas of future development. Our national welfare therefore requires the provision of good urban transportation, with the properly balanced use of private vehicles and modern mass transport to help shape as well as serve urban growth." President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Urban Mass Transportation Act of 1964 into law, which passed the

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air cond ...

by a vote of 212-129 and cleared the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

52–41, creating the Urban Mass Transportation Administration. The agency was charged with providing federal assistance for mass transit projects, including an initial $375 million in capital assistance over three years as mandated by the act. In 1991, the agency was renamed the Federal Transit Administration.

Administrators

The current Administrator is

Nuria I. Fernandez Nuria I. Fernandez is a civil engineer who has served as the current Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), a division of the United States Department of Transportation (DOT), since June 10, 2021. After she was appointed as D ...

, having assumed the post in 2021 as Acting Administrator, before being subsequently confirmed to the position by the Senate in June of 2021. Below is a list of past administrators.

Notable programs

*Metropolitan & Statewide Planning *Urbanized Formula Funding *Clean Fuels Grant Program *Major Capital Investments *Fixed Guideway Modernization *Transportation for Elderly Persons and Persons with Disabilities *Formula Grants for Other than Urbanized Areas *Public Transportation on Indian Reservations *Rural Transit Assistance Program *Transit Cooperative Research Program *National Research & Technology Program *Job Access and Reverse Commute Program *New Freedom Program *Bus and Bus Facilities *Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks Program *Alternatives Analysis *

University Transportation Centers Program The University Transportation Centers (UTC) program is a federal program to improve transportation research and education in the United States and to strengthen the country's competitiveness in the global transportation industry. History The ...

*Over-the-Road Bus Program *BUILD (Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development), formerly TIGER (Transit Investment Generating Economic Recovery) *Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction (TIGGER) Program *Veterans Transportation and Community Living Initiative Capital Grants ProgramVeterans Transportation and Community Living Initiative Capital Grants Program
. Federal Transit Administration.

References

External links

*
American Recovery & Reinvestment Act

Federal Transit Administration
in the

Federal Register The ''Federal Register'' (FR or sometimes Fed. Reg.) is the official journal of the federal government of the United States that contains government agency rules, proposed rules, and public notices. It is published every weekday, except on fede ...

{{authority control Public transportation in the United States Government agencies established in 1964 United States Department of Transportation agencies

Transit Transit may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Transit'' (1979 film), a 1979 Israeli film * ''Transit'' (2005 film), a film produced by MTV and Staying-Alive about four people in countries in the world * ''Transit'' (2006 film), a 2006 ...