IMPROVE Transit Investment Grant
Part of the “Improving Manufacturing, Public Roads, and Opportunities for a Vibrant Economy” Act signed into law in 2017 under the Haslam Administration, the IMPROVE Transit Investment Grant contributes to reducing congestion, increasing ridership, promoting economic development, and benefits to safety by providing state funding to transit-related projects. Since its inception in 2018, nearly 100 capital transit projects have been awarded, including the locomotive rebuild for the WeGo Star, transit bus stop improvements, capital start-up costs for a micro-transit project, and transit facilities. The grant aligns with TDOT’s vision of continuous improvement and data informed decision-making within the State of Tennessee.
Have a project idea, but need to know how to get started? Please contact Christopher Turner at Christopher.Turner@tn.gov.
The SFY2026 Call for Projects is complete and awards were announced to recipients in December 2025. The SFY2027 Call for Projects will be opened in June 2026. The SFY2026 Program Fact Sheet is linked below for planning future applications.
IMPROVE Transit Investment Grant SFY2026 Awards
This year, TDOT leveraged IMPROVE dollars to maximize available resources. Some projects received a combined award of Federal & IMPROVE funds.
| Project Type | Applicant | Capital Transit Project | SFY2025 Award |
| Rolling Stock & Equipment | Clarksville Transit System | Purchase of two 30ft buses, 8 paratransit vehicles (4 to expand service), and 3 support vehicles for operations & maintenance staff. | $1,123,000 (IMPROVE) $1,048,000 (Federal) |
| Regional Transit Authority of Middle Tennessee | Purchase of 10 motor coach buses to replace contractor-owned fleet for the regional transit service in Middle TN. | $625,000 (IMPROVE) $5,000,000 (Federal) |
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| Chattanooga Area Regional Transit Authority | Install driver barriers on all revenue vehicles to improve driver safety. | $400,000 | |
| Jackson Transit Authority | Purchase of four 30ft low-floor buses to replace aging, high-mileage vehicles currently in service. | $290,000 (IMPROVE) $2,320,000 (Federal) |
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| Southeast TN Human Resource Agency | Purchase of 2 maintenance support vehicles to improve response time to transit vehicles in rural service area. | $208,000 | |
| Technology | Chattanooga Area Regional Transit Authority | Purchase a bus simulator to enhance training strategies for current and future drivers on CARTA's routes and weather conditions. | $240,000 |
| First TN Human Resource Agency | Purchase of a cloud-based fleet management system that imports data directly from trip scheduling software | $120,822 | |
| Facilities & Infrastructure | Chattanooga Area Regional Transit Authority | Upgrade HVAC unit at 1617 Wilcox Blvd facility | $500,000 |
| Chattanooga Area Regional Transit Authority | Prioritize and design up to 33 mobility hub locations on the CARTA network to improve mobility & connections | $317,244 | |
| Clarksville Transit System | Exit 11 Park & Ride Design, Environmental, & Site Prep and New Transit Center Site Preparation | $4,400,000 | |
| Johnson City Transit | Replace aging roof on JCT’s main transit center and administrative offices that suffered damage in Hurricane Helene | $360,000 | |
| Southeast TN Human Resource Agency | Add cooling system, vehicle lifts, inventory storage, fluid tanks, and concrete work to expand capacity of maintenance shop. | $152,720 | |
| Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency | Install a vehicle wash bay at maintenance facility to reduce costs of third-party wash facility use. | $100,000 | |
| Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority (WeGo) | Install solar lighting at pole-only transit stops to improve safety and passenger experience. | $640,000 | |
| IMPROVE SFY2026 Competitive Awards Total | $9,476,786 | ||
| Advanced Commitments Total | $10,481,958 | ||
| TDOT Project Delivery & Program Administration | $1,041,256 | ||
| IMPROVE SFY2026 Grand Total | $21,000,000 | ||