Federal Grant Could Help Fund 50 Electric Buses for the 2026 World Cup in North Texas

Electric DART Proterra bus turns onto Main Street in Downtown Dallas. [Video still: Proterra]

During the 2026 FIFA World Cup, AT&T Stadium in Arlington will be the site of more World Cup matches than any of the other 15 host venues in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. That means tons of fans needing rides to nine different matches, with a global audience watching.

So we’re gonna need a lot of buses. And with the whole world watching—especially for one of the all-important semifinal matches—making as many buses as eco-friendly as possible is on the minds of leaders across the region.

AT&T Stadium [Photo: blightylad-infocus/iStock]

Seeking $52.6M from the Federal Transit Administration

The North Central Texas Council of Governments’ Regional Transportation Council voted in April to apply for a federal grant that would help fund 59 electric buses for the 2026 World Cup and Trinity Metro.

The application calls for $52.6 million to be spent to buy 50 electric buses for the World Cup and nine buses for Trinity Metro, along with electric charging stations, according to NCTCOG. 

The funding is being made available through the Federal Transit Administration’s Low or No Emission and Bus/Bus Facilities Grant. Awards are expected to be announced by the FTA in July. 

Trinity Metro would supply around $2.8 million as a local match for its buses and related infrastructure, with 5.9 million transportation development credits used to supplement the local match, NCTCOG said.

Buses would later be transitioned into public transportation fleets

Once the World Cup is over, buses funded through the grant would be transitioned to North Texas’ public transportation authorities to replace older buses in their fleets, NCTCOG said.

DART received a $103M Federal Transit Administration grant in 2023

These wouldn’t be the first federal funds flowing to North Texas to make bus fleets more carbon-friendly. 

In July 2023, Colin Allred (TX-32), a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, announced that Dallas Area Rapid Transit would receive a $103 million Federal Transit Administration grant to help modernize its bus fleet with low or no-emission buses.

The new buses were slated to replace about 186 in operation at that time.

In March 2023, DART’s first long-range electric bus began regular service, with an almost 300-mile range—longer than many private EVs buzzing around Dallas streets.

The 40-foot-long Proterra ZX5 Max (seen above) achieves that range by having six lithium-ion battery packs. Four are mounted under the bus, and two are mounted on the roof. Each battery pack stores 112.5 kWh of charge, for a total of 675 kWh.

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