FY26 Bus Safety, Accessibility, and Innovation Notice of Funding Opportunity
FTA is offering up to $10 million for up to two projects to develop innovative, widely deployable bus safety and accessibility solutions for FY2026.
Funder: DOT - Federal Transit Administration
Due Dates: September 28, 2026: Full application submission deadline
Funding Amounts: Up to $10 million total; up to 2 awards; maximum federal share is 80% of project cost; project period up to 3 years
Summary: Supports research and prototyping of innovative bus safety, accessibility, and design concepts to improve safety and accessibility for operators, passengers, and vulnerable road users.
Key Information: Teams must include a Transit Vehicle Manufacturer (TVM) in a prominent role; cost share/match required.
Description
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is offering a competitive funding opportunity to support research and prototyping projects that advance innovative concepts for bus safety, accessibility, and design. The goal is to develop and prototype solutions that make buses safer for operators, passengers, and vulnerable road users (such as pedestrians and cyclists), and to enhance accessibility for passengers with physical and cognitive disabilities. Projects must result in a prototype that can be retrofitted on existing buses or installed in new buses.
Eligible activities include research on bus designs, technologies, and systems that address:
- Operator and passenger safety and security
- Safety of vulnerable road users near transit buses
- Accessibility improvements for users with disabilities
Key focus areas include protective operator compartments, advanced visibility and detection systems, ergonomic improvements, fare collection modernization, universal design for passenger accessibility, and system-level integration (including cybersecurity and cost efficiency).
