LOUISVILLE, Ky. — More than two dozen new, fuel-efficient TARC buses will go into service Thursday, thanks in part to a 2016 settlement with Volkswagen.
The current fleet will be updated with a total of 47 new buses. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said the buses will help replace older models that aren't as environmentally friendly. The first 15 buses begin operation on July 1.
"Each and every time we have reached out...TARC has answered the call," Gov. Andy Beshear said at a press conference Thursday.
The state paid for the buses using money from a settlement with Volkswagen reached by Beshear in 2016. While he was attorney general, Beshear sued the company for misleading customers about the economic impact of their vehicles.
Nearly $5 million from the $20 settlement allowed TARC to meet the local match required to get a 2019 federal investment from the United States Department of Transportation through the Federal Transit Administration.
"It is so good to see this city continuing to look for mew ways to move forward," Beshear said.
The settlement is paying for similar upgrades for transportation systems in Northern Kentucky, Lexington and Owensboro.
In June, Louisville Metro Council approved TARC's $102 million budget for the next fiscal year. Key projects for 2021 include getting new vehicles, continued renovations of the dispatch office, installing solar panels and getting a new heating and air system for the "bus barn."
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