(Providence, RI) -- Senator Jack Reed is announcing that Rhode Island is receiving a federal grant to help pay for new Rhode Island Public Transit Authority buses. RIPTA will get one-and-a-half-million-dollars from a U.S. Department of Transportation program to purchase the all-electric buses and charging infrastructure. Reed says the grant will help RIPTA curb pollution and accelerate the transition to a greener fleet, plus reduce maintenance costs. The state is also using a portion of funds it received in a settlement with Volkswagen over diesel emissions fraud to help pay for the buses.