Buttigieg visits Wilmington to share millions in public transit funding

Pete Buttigieg, the former Democratic presidential candidate and current U.S. transportation secretary, came to Delaware Friday to announce that $186 million is on its way to improve public transportation here as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The money will be used to change the state’s 247 DART buses to low- and no-emission models, as well as to train employees how to operate and maintain them.

In an effort to promote the law and explain its role in the fight against climate change, Buttigieg joined Sen. Tom Carper and Gov. John Carney Friday morning outside the DART Administration building in Wilmington.

Buttigieg described Delaware as a “forward-thinking state, especially with regard to the intersection of transportation and climate.”

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In response to the “old false narrative” that suggests jobs and climate action can’t coexist, Buttigieg emphasized that at least 5% of the federal money will go toward retraining bus drivers and creating new positions. 

“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has brought us so much opportunity, and we want to put that opportunity to work,” said Federal Transit Administration administrator Nuria Fernandez.

Over the next five years, the law will also award Delaware an estimated $1.4 billion for improving highways and bridges, $15 million for traffic safety programs, and $18 million to expand charging stations for electric vehicles.

“I believe there’s a model here that we could share across the country, and the urgency has never been greater,” Buttigieg said.

With the current infrastructure in place, Delawareans using public transportation spend an extra 87% of their time commuting, according to the Department of Transportation. The department also found that those who rely on buses are predominantly from minority communities, with non-white households 3.7 times more likely to commute via transit.

To change this perception of transit and expand the demographic of bus riders in the state, Buttigieg said it’s critical that buses are frequent and reliable.

“We need to give people those great choices and encouragement,” he said.

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Longtime DART bus driver Keisha Parham said that the new electric vehicles – which currently account for 10% of fixed route buses in the state – will hopefully attract new riders because of their uniqueness, as well as amenities like outlets and internet access. She said ridership in Wilmington has been down during the pandemic, but is beginning to bounce back.

In her almost 28 years behind the wheel, Parham said she knows what stops her regular riders use.