The University of Iowa’s Cambus has been selected to receive $6,171,174 in grant funding from the Federal Transit Administration’s Low and No Emissions Program. The funding will support the replacement of six buses that were purchased in 2008 and 2009, and were due for retirement by 2022, with new diesel-electric hybrid buses.
“Receiving this funding will yield significant benefits for students, staff, faculty, and campus visitors” says Mia Brunelli, Cambus manager. “These upgrades will mean a better experience for riders through more reliable service and will improve the efficiency of our operations.”
Rider benefits
The bus replacement project will boost service reliability for riders. Newer buses require less maintenance and are less likely to cause service disruptions due to breakdowns. They will also offer a more comfortable riding experience for the university community.
2,500,000
# 19
The Iowa City metro area ranks 19th in the country in ridership per capita
More efficient operations
New buses will mean fewer breakdowns and allow staff to focus on other operational priorities instead of handling frequent repairs and disruptions. Because the maintenance costs for older buses are 60–70% higher, replacing them will also significantly lower costs.
Together, these benefits will enable Cambus to better support the university’s missions in education, research, discovery and health care. Cambus provides over 12,000 daily rides to the university community to get to classes, work, events, recreation, and other campus services. The benefits of this grant funding build upon the $16.4M grant Cambus received in 2024 to expand and modernize the Cambus Maintenance Facility and replace six buses.
“Our goal is to provide safe and accessible transportation services to everyone on campus. Investments like these to improve our fleet and infrastructure are vital to achieving that goal,” says Brunelli.
About the grant program
The UI was one of 141 recipients of the FTA’s Low or No Emission Grant Program. The grant program awards funds on a competitive basis to public transit agencies to purchase or lease vehicles and related equipment and facilities. In 2025, the FTA awarded $2.1 billion to 165 projects across 48 states.
About CAMBUS
Cambus is a free campus bus service founded by UI students in 1972 with six leased buses. Today, Cambus provides more than 2.5 million rides each year including fixed-route, on-demand, and paratransit services with a fleet of 39 buses.
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