Timing is everything, and Advance Transit, a private nonprofit company providing bus and paratransit services across the Upper Valley region of Vermont and New Hampshire, took advantage of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act to speed an upgrade to its bus garage.
In 2005, Advance applied for federal funding to build an expanded parking garage in Wilder, Vt., for its fleet of 30 buses and handicapped vans. The new garage includes a drive-through bus wash and an additional mechanical lift, as well as several energy-efficiency components such as additional insulation, a photovoltaic array and a system for harvesting rainwater and snowmelt for bus washing.