Security Grants

The motorcoach industry continually strives to improve the safety and security of bus operations. Over the past few years, enhancing motorcoach security has become a key issue for all operators and a priority issue for the nation as a whole as motorcoaches visit nearly all of our nation's historic landmarks, pass along or through much of our critical infrastructure, and transport nearly 631 million passengers.

Since 2003, over $71 million in grants have been awarded to the motorcoach industry by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security through the Intercity Bus Security Grant Program [1]. This federal grant money can be used towards a variety of eligible projects across several categories, including:

• Training & Exercises (hiring security consultants for training programs, tabletop exercises, drills, etc.)
• Facility Security Enhancements (lights, fences, id badges, cctv, etc.)
• Vehicle Security (GPS, kill switch technology, streaming video, panic buttons, driver shields, etc.)
• Passenger Screening (wanding devices, detection technology, canine patrols, etc.)
• Security Planning (development of security plans, vulnerability assessments, etc.)
• Public Awareness (DHS approved communications campaigns)

The American Bus Association offers its congratulations to the recipients of fiscal year 2008 federal security grant funds to the private over the road bus industry. Though limited in funding, operators utilize the Intercity Bus Security Grant Program to implement emergency security enhancements designed to mitigate threats to motorcoach passengers and facilities.

There was a cost-sharing/match requirement of at least 25% for submitted projects in the FY 2008 program. Another requirement of this year's grant program was that a security plan and a vulnerability assessment must have been completed and submitted to DHS in order to apply for FY 2008 grant funding.

Funding was split along two-tiers, then awarded through a competitive grants selection process.

• To qualify as a Tier I carrier: Applicants must have in-service fleets of more than 250 over-the-road-buses.
• To qualify as a Tier II carrier: Applicants must provide fixed route service to FY 2008 UASI areas; or provide a minimum of 50 trips annually to FY 2008 UASI areas.

For FY 2008, nearly $11.2 million was awarded to 49 recipients, of which 36 were ABA members. ABA members received 90% of the awarded funding.

Through ABA's lobbying efforts, $25 million has already been appropriated for the FY 2009 Intercity Bus Security Grant Program and a total of $87 million has been authorized through 2011 through PL 110-53, also know as the 9/11 Act. Several new requirements have been tied to this funding authorization and new law. You can check out some of the highlights related to motorcoach security below.

Please stay tuned for the next round of security grant funding as well as several new regulations in the near future.

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