STARS receives $4M to purchase 10 new buses

SAGINAW, Mich. (WNEM) – STARS will receive $4 million to be used toward the purchase of 10 transit buses as part of the new federal budget.

The funding from the federal budget will help STARS improve its services and allow riders better access to medical and mental healthcare, education, and jobs, the company said.

“This represents a huge step toward fleet viability and the reliability that Saginaw deserves,” STARS Executive Director Glenn Steffens said.

The 43 buses that make up the current STARS fleet were purchased used or were refurbished to extend their use, the company said.

In 2019, STARS was awarded a discretionary grant that funded the purchase of eight more buses currently being manufactured in California. These will be the first “new” full-size transit buses for STARS since 2010, the company said.

With a total of 18 new buses on the way, half of STARS bus route fleet will be replaced with more efficient and comfortable vehicles by 2024, the company said.