On a sweltering summer day in Texas, Linda Duran rode in air-conditioning on her way home from seeing her husband at the nursing home. She was taking a public transit service she uses every day to also get to work and the grocery store, and now TxDOT is investing nearly $150 million to help people like Duran across the state.

On July 12, the Texas Transportation Commission awarded more than $68 million in federal and state funds to transit providers across the state. Combined with an award grante...