Senate hearing examines $15 million one‑time grant and study to shore up fixed‑route transit funding

Senate Bill 2254, introduced in the North Dakota Senate Transportation Committee, would provide a one‑time $15 million appropriation to the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) to award grants to the state’s four fixed‑route transit systems and fund a study to design a sustainable funding formula.

Senator Josh Beauche, the bill sponsor, told the committee the appropriation is intended to “bridge the biennium for a focused study” after federal reclassifications tied to the 2020 Census reduced some cities’ federal transit allocations. “Senate Bill 2254 proposes a one‑time appropriation to the North Dakota Department of Transportation by grants to the 4 communities with fixed‑route transit to assist with the growing costs and reduced funding that they are currently experiencing,” Beauche said.

The bill targets Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot and Bismarck, the four cities in North Dakota that operate fixed‑route buses. Transit directors from those systems, along with advocates and a NDDOT official, urged support at a committee hearing and described rising operating and capital costs, uncertainty in annual federal allocations, and local fiscal…