Ottawa, IL – North Central Area Transit (NCAT) invites you to a ribbon-cutting ceremony to
celebrate new fleet vehicles on June 18th at 12:00 pm at NCAT’s Transit Center, 1784 Chessie
Lane, Ottawa, IL.
The project was funded by the LaSalle County ARPA grant and IDOT Rebuild IL grant funds. Total
cost for four new ADA-compliant Ford Transit vans is $395,000.
Adding four new vehicles to NCAT’s fleet is critically important to maintain the current service
level and plan for expansion, as our existing fleet ages and wear and tear begins to take its toll.
Rural public transit agencies in Illinois receive most of their vehicles through the State’s annual
Consolidated Vehicle Procurement (CVP) grant program. That program has been on hold since
2020 when NCAT last received four buses. In the absence of the CVP and unknown return of the
program, NCAT had to find another means of procuring vehicles to maintain service levels.
NCAT purchased two used buses in 2022 and applied for capital funding through State and
Local grants to purchase additional vehicles until the CVP returns. NCAT was awarded
$135,000 in Rebuild Illinois funds and $265,650 LaSalle County ARPA grant.
These new vehicles will help offset the loss of decommissioned fleet vehicles and support a new
route providing service from Streator to/from LaSalle-Peru daily.