[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5216 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5216

 To require the Secretary of Transportation, to issue regulations and 
      guidance to allow certain regional transportation planning 
organizations to increase spare bus ratios to 30 percent, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 8, 2025

  Ms. Titus introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the Secretary of Transportation, to issue regulations and 
      guidance to allow certain regional transportation planning 
organizations to increase spare bus ratios to 30 percent, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Bus Utilization for Fleet 
Flexibility and Emergency Resilience Act'' or the ``BUFFER Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Extreme weather events such as extreme heat and extreme 
        cold threaten the lives and livelihoods of communities across 
        the United States.
            (2) Instances of extreme weather can increase vehicle 
        repair and maintenance needs for transit buses.
            (3) Operational disruptions to fixed bus routes during 
        extreme weather events are dangerous to people who rely on bus 
        services to get around.
            (4) Transit agencies with high-frequency and high-intensity 
        service, including regions that are tourism and live 
        entertainment hubs, face additional operational challenges.

SEC. 3. INCREASE OF SPARE BUS RATIO.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation, acting through the 
Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration, shall issue such 
regulations and guidance as are necessary to allow, upon request, a 
regional transportation planning organization to increase the spare bus 
ratio of such organization to 30 percent.
    (b) Eligibility for Spare Bus Ratio Increase.--To be eligible for 
an increase described under subsection (a), a regional transportation 
planning organization shall submit to the Administrator--
            (1) a certification that the region regularly experiences 
        extreme weather events;
            (2) a description of how extreme weather events have 
        disrupted bus operations in the region; and
            (3) a description of how increasing the spare ratio will 
        help ensure reliable services for users of fixed bus routes 
        during incidents of extreme weather.
                                 <all>