WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Anthony G. Brown, Jamie Raskin and David Trone today announced $346,500 in federal funding to upgrade transportation services and increase transit access in rural and low-income communities across Maryland.

“Robust, reliable, and affordable public transit lifts up communities and increases economic opportunity. This new federal funding will help ensure Marylanders have access to safe and effective public transportation in communities that need it most,” the lawmakers said. “Team Maryland will continue fighting to secure additional resources to expand economic growth and opportunity for underserved communities throughout our state.”

Funding comes from the U.S. Federal Transit Administration’s Helping Obtain Prosperity for Everyone (HOPE) Program. Maryland’s awards include:

• $225,000 for the Maryland Department of Transportation and the Maryland Transit Administration in Baltimore to improve transit experiences for individuals with disabilities by modernizing shelters and ticket vending machines.

• $121,500 for the Maryland Department of Transportation, on behalf of Allegany County, to build a transit hub in Cumberland to increase transportation services in rural western Maryland.

More information on the HOPE Program can be found here.