Bus systems in two Georgia cities will receive nearly $20 million in federal funds to replace older buses with electric models.

Augusta Transit will get almost $12.1 million for quieter, safer, and more reliable electric buses. The agency also will receive funding to buy a bus simulator to use in workforce training.

The Chatham Area Transit Authority in Savannah will get more than $7.8 million to replace old diesel buses with electric buses, furthering the agency’s transition to zero-emission transit vehicles.

“This is about improving our transit services for all riders and converting fleets of diesel-powered buses into clean energy vehicles for the future,” said U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., who made the announcement of the funding Tuesday in conjunction with Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga. “This is a ride to the future.”

The money comes from the bipartisan infrastructure spending bill Congress passed in 2021.

The funding announced Tuesday is in addition to nearly $60 million in federal funding seven Georgia school districts received in January for new electric and low-emission buses.

Besides the money going to Augusta and Savannah, MARTA will get more than $25 million to build a transit hub in South DeKalb County for both bus and rail connections.

Capitol Beat is a nonprofit news service operated by the Georgia Press Educational Foundation that provides coverage of state government to newspapers throughout Georgia. For more information visit capitol-beat.org.