The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) https://www.transit.dot.gov/ is responsible for providing grants to local transit systems including buses, subways, light and commuter rail,  trolleys, and ferries.  It also conducts research in these areas and administers a transit safety program. 

FTA was established by Public Law 88-365 https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-78/pdf/STATUTE-78-Pg302-2.pdf signed by President Johnson on July 9, 1964. 49 USC 107 https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2022-title49/html/USCODE-2022-title49-subtitleI-chap1-sec107.htm is its governing statute and the regulations it enforces begin at 49 CFR 601 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-VI 

It’s Administrator is presidentially appointed and subject to Senate confirmation, recent budget information can be found https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2024-03/DOT_Budget_Highlights_FY_2025_508.pdf beginning on p. 42, and its workforce includes 700 personnel in Washington, DC and 10 regional field offices with Indiana being in Region 5  https://www.transit.dot.gov/about/regional-offices/region-5/region-5 headquartered in Chicago. 

FTA produces the National Transit Database (NTD) https://www.transit.dot.gov/ntd providing data about the asset, financial, and operating conditions of U.S. transit systems.  Indianapolis and Marion County data are available annually from 2014-2023 at https://www.transit.dot.gov/ntd/transit-agency-profiles/indianapolis-and-marion-county-public-transportation  Data from 73 Indiana transit authorities are provided.

This post was submitted by Bert Chapman, Purdue University.