BUTLER TWP — The Transit Authority Tuesday agreed to apply for money from the Federal Transit Administration to help fund its commuter service buses to Pittsburgh.

This is the first time the authority will seek this federal money.

Authority Executive Director John Paul said the FTA has allocated $1 million to the authority that is now available because of the commuter service to Pittsburgh.

The authority will take around $200,000 of that for the commuter buses.

Paul said the authority has never previously operated in an urbanized area, but that will change with the commuter service.

The money will be used for equipment for five compressed natural gas coach buses that will be used for the commuter service.

Paul wants to start the service in July 2018. However, he said PennDOT may require the authority to begin the service sooner.

The authority expects to receive the coach buses by mid-September, as well as three CNG Gillig buses for local transit by October.

Paul said three more Gillig buses will be received in about two years.

Paul said that because the CNG fueling facility will not be completed until the end of 2017, the authority will need a temporary fueling source for the CNG buses until the facility is ready.

Concrete padding is being completed at the facility. Paul expects that phase of the project to be finished in about three weeks.

Paul pointed to the plummeting usage of public transit services as a national trend as a reason that commuter services are essential.

“It's always been important to try to get the commuter service started because we could offset those (low passenger numbers) with the commuter numbers,” he said.