The Huskie Bus Line will have five new paratransit vehicles next academic year as a result of state and federal funds.

Gov. James R. Thompson announced Friday, the release of $206,393 in matching state funds for three public transportation projects in Northern Illinois, including the Huskie bus system. Total state and federal funding for the four buses and one van is about $527,000; 80 percent of which comes from the federal government, 20 percent from the state of Illinois.

Assistant DeKalb City Manager Gary Boden said four paratransit buses and one paratransit mini-van will replace four non-handicapped equipped buses to allow better accessibility for handicapped passengers.

Mass Transit Adviser David Pack said the Student Association Mass Transit Board is required to develop specifications for the buses in order to receive the funds. The size of the buses and the wheelchair lifts will be discussed with city representatives Friday.

Funds might possibly be used to purchase one 10- to 15-passenger bus, two 28- to 30-passenger buses, and two 45-passenger buses, Mass Transit Graduate Assistant Cyro Gazola said.

Pack said the new buses will most likely replace those that service DeKalb and the Kishwaukee Community Hospital.

“I don’t know if it (paratransit buses) would be appropriate on routes 3 and 4 that are overcrowded,” Pack said.

Boden said the buses will be owned by the city of DeKalb and leased to NIU. The request for the additional funding to add paratransit vehicles was made to the city by the Mass Transit one year ago.

Pack said the Mass Transit Board is not considering requesting state or federal funds to purchase additional buses to deal with overcrowding.

Pack said he will recommend reducing the “run time,” the time it takes a bus to make one complete trip, by five minutes on buses servicing Greek Row by eliminating a few stops.