It’s something we see every day and benefits the entire Ames community. We all know what I’m talking about: CyRide, the yellow and red public transportation buses in Ames. What you might not know, is they recently received a $3.1 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to electrify more of their system.

While we should all applaud the CyRide leadership team for compiling an excellent proposal, one of only 70 approved by the FTA, keep in mind this funding wouldn’t have happened without the bipartisan support of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA.) Specifically, that from Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley and Rep. Cindy Axne.

Thanks to the bipartisan support of IIJA in Congress and local leadership, CyRide will be able to replace five of its old, heavy-duty diesel buses with five new electric-powered buses. Many of you don’t realize you may be riding the same buses as your parents who attended Iowa State University.

Not only will these buses produce fewer emissions and less of a carbon footprint, but they will improve CyRide’s reliability and safety. By transitioning to newer buses with improved technology, the buses will require less maintenance, making them more reliable to transport. The improved technologies also make these buses safer for walking pedestrians and passengers.

I’m thankful for the support of the Ames City Government and its community partners to improve public transportation for both students and residents. Furthermore, I’m thankful for the bipartisan support of the IIJA so projects like this can continue happening. 

Jacob Ludwig is a senior in economics.