Transit agencies in southeastern Texas are set to receive more than $300 million to stem revenue losses linked to COVID-19, federal officials announced Thursday, most of it coming to Houston.

As part of the first round of Congress-approved stimulus funding, $25 billion will go to transit agencies nationwide, doled out by the Federal Transit Administration. The money “will ensure our nation’s public transportation systems can continue to provide services to the millions of Americans who depend on them,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao said in a release.

Money will be distributed by urban areas, with most of Houston’s $258.6 million going to the Metropolitan Transit Authority, which has seen ridership to drop to less than half its normal workday use. Bus and rail ridership Wednesday was 129,000, a 55 percent decline from the same day last year, Metro spokesman Jerome Gray said.

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More Information Bus money Nine urban areas in southeast Texas will share more than $300 million from the $25 billion stimulus federal officials approved for transit agencies. Houston $258,569,336 Conroe-The Woodlands $9,538,252 Galveston $4,675,290 Lake Jackson-Angleton $3,258,575 Texas City $4,293,542 Beaumont $6,263,891 Port Arthur $6,223,057 Victoria $3,067,809 College Station-Bryan $8,830,021 Total $304,719,773 Source: Federal Transit Administration

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Metro is far from alone, with transit agencies nationwide struggling to provide service to transit-dependent workers — many who staff critical jobs at groceries and health care providers — while losing money by the day.

Fewer riders means less money coming in from fares, but that pales in comparison to the expected drop in sales tax collections Metro relies on for most of its funding. With various businesses closed and most of the Houston area hunkered down, collections from Metro’s 1 percent sales tax are expected to nosedive.

“The financial impact will be determined over time, but we are tracking various operational expenses and losses,” Metro CEO Tom Lambert said in a statement, explaining the agency will determine options for spending the stimulus windfall gradually.

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The funding may not be the end of aid offered by federal officials. With Washington lawmakers angling for a $2 trillion infrastructure package, Metro’s $7.5 billion long-range transportation plan, approved by voters last November, could be well-timed to take advantage.

“We are well aware that transit projects are economic generators, and we look forward to maximizing all opportunities in any federal stimulus focused on infrastructure,” Gray said. “Staff is working on developing a wide range of projects that would be ready for any expedited process.”

dug.begley@chron.com