Comment on Cherokee and Chickasaw Nations awarded federal transit grants

By Randy EllisStaff writerrellis@oklahoman.comTwo Oklahoma tribes are among nine U.S. tribes that have been awarded a combined $2.3 million in federal grants to support transit services during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The Chickasaw Nation will receive $1,009,069 and the Cherokee Nation will receive $862,452, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration announced Thursday. The Chickasaw Nation plans to use its grant money for operating, administrative, and preventive maintenance expenses, including salaries, cleaning and sanitizing supplies, protective equipment, driver protection barriers, and the purchase of additional vehicles to ensure proper social distancing protocols for tribal members in south central Oklahoma. The Cherokee Nation will use its funds to purchase demand-response vans to support continued transportation service for tribal members in northeastern Oklahoma. The grant money will be provided through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. "We know many of our nation’s public transportation systems are facing extraordinary challenges and these funds will go a long way to assisting our transit industry partners in battling COVID-19,” said K.