The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has issued notice of a time-limited, partial waiver for the Buy America requirement of non-ADA accessible vans or minivans used in federally-funded vanpool programs.
FTA determined there are no mass-produced, unmodified, non-ADA accessible passenger vans or minivans that meet the Federal transit law domestic content requirement. Engines and motors must be manufactured in the United States and final assembly of these vehicles must occur in the U.S. The partial waiver is in effect starting Oct. 25, 2022, and expires in two years or if a fully compliant vehicle is available.
A similar waiver from the domestic content requirement for mass-produced, unmodified non-ADA-accessible vans and minivans was in effect from October 2016 through September 2019 and FTA says it has received requests to reissue the waiver.
In July 2022, FTA sought comments on a proposed partial waiver and received 126 comments with all but one being supportive of the waiver and many asking for an expanded waiver.
Rural, small city, paratransit and nonemergency medical transportation providers are reporting concerns over supply chain challenges that have resulted in cancelled small bus contracts, price increases and growing wait times to receive vehicles. A survey by the Community Transportation Association of America found 80 percent of respondents reported feeling highly concerned with the state of standard vehicle replacements.
However, FTA stated in the Federal Register that it had not received any request to waive requirements for larger vehicles like cutaway vans and buses and declined to expand the waiver beyond the proposed scope.
The FTA's notice in the Federal Register is linked here.
Mischa Wanek-Libman | Group Editorial Director
Mischa Wanek-Libman is director of communications with Transdev North America. She has more than 20 years of experience working in the transportation industry covering construction projects, engineering challenges, transit and rail operations and best practices.
Wanek-Libman has held top editorial positions at freight rail and public transportation business-to-business publications including as editor-in-chief and editorial director of Mass Transit from 2018-2024. She has been recognized for editorial excellence through her individual work, as well as for collaborative content.
She is an active member of the American Public Transportation Association's Marketing and Communications Committee and served 14 years as a Board Observer on the National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Board of Directors.
She is a graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and Mass Communication.
