TAMPA, Fla. — The Hillsborough Transit Authority (HART) received its largest grant ever.

Some of that funding will go to replacing older diesel buses with newer ones that run on compressed natural gas.

What You Need To Know

The Hillsborough Transit Authority is continuing to upgrade its fleet

The agency got more a more than $32 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration

It’s the largest grant the agency has ever won

The grant will go toward converting aging disesel buses with one that run on compressed natural gas

HART is an important resource for many people.

“The bus is great for me, I love it,” said Jayla Middletown, HART passenger.

But for Middleton, it’s a lifeline. Two years ago, she was diagnosed with hyperglycemia, and she said it’s not safe for her to drive.

“I may faint or go out if I don’t eat properly, if I don’t get enough sleep, it could happen at any time. So, to avoid me getting in any accidents, even killing myself, they just don’t let me drive, period,” she said.

Now, she rides the bus to and from work five times a week.

HART just received its largest grant ever. It’s getting over $32 million from the Federal Transit Administration to replace 33 aging diesel buses with a new compressed natural gas fleet.

“All this smoke that’d be coming from all the burning, and stuff that (comes) from it, I think it’d be good for the environment,” Middleton said.

The latest grant HART said will save the agency over a million dollars in maintenance and reduce delays and improve on-time performance. Some of the funding will also go to expanding training partnerships to address the nation-wide technician shortage.

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor said the change will also benefit the environment.

“It’s going to mean they’re going to have a cleaner ride on the bus. That means the air quality across the Tampa Bay area will improve. It means we’re planning for the future. We have to do more to help people get to work, to school, to shop,” said Castor.

HART is working to convert its entire fixed route fleet to compressed natural gas. The agency said it’s 75% of the way there and that this big grant will help finish the project in 2026.

Middleton will continue to be a loyal rider.

“You know how many people I’ve met on this bus, or people I haven’t seen in God-knows-when, I met them right on the bus,” Middleton said.

The Federal Transit Administration awarded more than 150 grants this cycle and HART received the largest one in Florida.