The Huntsville City Council voted to apply for three federal grants totaling more than $14 million for the purchase of electric and hybrid vehicles for its transit fleet and upgrades to transit facilities.

The city is applying for a $5.2 million grant with the Federal Transit Administration for a $6.5 million project that includes renovations to the bus maintenance facility at 500 Church Street in northwest Huntsville that was built in 2003. The project is needed to maintain a daily service line that includes oils, fluids, fueling, fare collection and daily washing, according to the grant application. The application says the bus washing facility is too small to accommodate larger buses.

The city is applying for a $3.1 million grant to help with an almost $3.7 million purchase of eight electric paratransit vans that would replace eight gasoline powered vans. The project includes charging infrastructure.

The city is also seeking a $6.1 million grant for a $7.1 million purchase of six 40-foot hybrid diesel/electric buses. The city’s application said larger, cleaner and more efficient vehicles were needed to better serve city communities. They would replace 2015-16 and 2008 model vehicles.

The city’s application cited better fuel mileage and lower maintenance costs by hybrid vehicles in a 2015-16 study of vehicles in the Charlotte Area Transit System.

Huntsville operates 16 buses on 12 fixed routes that serve more than 2,500 riders per day covering more than 100 square miles. It also operates 20 peak paratransit vehicles.

Huntsville is trying to increase its ridership to make it eligible for federal funding for a rapid transit bus system, according to a study by the Huntsville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. The city is seeking to extend routes to Huntsville International Airport and major manufacturers in the Limestone County portion of the city.