Federal Transit Administration


The Federal Transit Administration is an agency within the United States Department of Transportation that provides financial and technical assistance to local public transportation 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 FTA functions through its Washington, D.C., headquarters office and ten regional offices which assist transit agencies in all states, the District of Columbia, and the territories. Until 1991, it was known as the Urban Mass Transportation Administration.
Public transportation includes buses, subways, light rail, commuter rail, monorail, passenger ferry boats, trolleys, inclined railways, and people movers. 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 message to the U.S. Congress calling for the creation of a program of federal capital assistance for mass transportation. President Kennedy said, "To conserve and enhance values in existing urban areas is essential. But at least as important are steps to promote economic efficiency and livability 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 by a vote of 212–129 and cleared the Senate 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 Administrator is Marc Molinaro since August 4, 2025. Below is a list of past administrators.
AdministratorTerm startedTerm ended
Paul L. Sitton19661969
Carlos C. Villarreal19691973
Frank C. Herringer19731975
Robert E. Patricelli19751977
Richard S. Page19771979
Theodore C. Lutz19791981
Arthur Teele19811983
Ralph L. Stanley19831987
Alfred A. DelliBovi19871989
Brian H. Clymer19891993
Grace Crunican 19931993
Gordon Linton19931999
Nuria I. Fernandez 19992001
Hiram J. Walker January 20, 2001July 2001
Jennifer L. Dorn20012005
Sandra Bushue January 2006June 2006
James S. SimpsonJune 2006December 2008
Sherry Little December 2008January 20, 2009
Matthew Welbes January 20, 2009May 2009
Peter RogoffMay 2009January 16, 2014
Therese McMillan January 16, 2014March 31, 2016
Carolyn Flowers April 1, 2016January 20, 2017
Matthew Welbes January 20, 2017August 29, 2017
K. Jane Williams August 29, 2017January 20, 2021
Nuria I. Fernandez January 20, 2021July 1, 2021
Nuria I. FernandezJuly 1, 2021February 24, 2024
Veronica Vanterpool February 24, 2024January 20, 2025
Matthew Welbes January 20, 2025May 1, 2025
Tariq Bokhari May 1, 2025August 4, 2025
Marc MolinaroAugust 4, 2025Incumbent

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
  • Over-the-Road Bus Program
  • BUILD, formerly TIGER
  • Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas and Energy Reduction Program
  • Veterans Transportation and Community Living Initiative Capital Grants Program

    National Transit Database

Since 1974, the National Transit Database has served as the repository for data on the financial, operating, and asset conditions of the public transit systems of the United States, statistics that FTA uses to help apportion funding to urbanized and rural areas in the country. NTD data products, which are all free and open to the public, reflect a wide range of characteristics of its participating systems, including agency funding sources, vehicle and facility inventories, maintenance and state-of-good repair reports, safety data, catalogues of available transit services, modal breakdown, ridership estimates, and transit employment numbers.
Specific metrics reported to the NTD by participating agencies include Vehicle Revenue Miles, Vehicle Revenue Hours, Passenger Miles Traveled, Unlinked Passenger Trips, and Operating Expenses.