FY26 Bus Safety, Accessibility, and Innovation Notice of Funding Opportunity

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is offering up to 10 million dollars in competitive funding for the Fiscal Year 2026 Bus Safety, Accessibility, and Innovation Research Program under solicitation FTA-2026-004-TRI. This program aims to award up to two projects focused on developing and prototyping innovative concepts to improve safety for bus operators and vulnerable road users, as well as enhancing accessibility for passengers. The scope of work covers operator-centric design, passenger experience improvements, and systemic innovations for both new bus applications and retrofit applications. Eligible applicants include transit vehicle manufacturers, providers of public transportation, research consortia, institutions of higher education, and various government or non-profit entities. Proposals must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov by September 28, 2026. Evaluation criteria focus on transit vehicle design experience, understanding of emerging transit needs, organizational capacity, and the technical and financial viability of the proposed project. Applicants are required to provide a detailed project budget, a program implementation strategy with milestones, and information regarding matching funds. Special considerations include the project's ability to benefit families with young children, its impact on reducing crime or fare evasion, and compliance with Buy America requirements. Project locations may be categorized as rural, small urban, or large urban.