Pete Buttigieg Secretary of Transportation | Facebook Website
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has announced $7.8 million in grants for 17 projects aimed at improving public transportation for people with disabilities, older adults, and low-income individuals. These grants will support organizations that coordinate public transportation for underserved groups, facilitating access to healthcare, community services, education, and jobs through partnerships among health, transportation, and human services providers.
The funding comes from the FTA’s Innovative Coordinated Access & Mobility (ICAM) Pilot Program, which is backed by more than $24 million over five years under the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The program focuses on enhancing access to essential services nationwide, emphasizing health and wellness. The newly announced funds will support various transportation improvements across 15 states, including new trip scheduling technology and transit vans.
“Transportation is a lifeline that connects Americans to essential services like health care,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Today we’re supporting innovative projects to help more people connect to the help they need. These transportation projects, made possible by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will help people with disabilities, older adults, and low-income individuals access the health services they need.”
The ICAM program aims to improve coordination of transportation to critical services for previously underserved populations. This aligns with the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to enhancing public health, including mental health.
“This program supports statewide and regional strategies to help ensure people who are especially challenged in accessing healthcare can reach those critical services,” said FTA Acting Administrator Veronica Vanterpool. “We are pleased to provide resources that help reach into the sometimes-overlooked areas of our nation to ensure no one is left behind.”
Selected projects include:
- The Illinois Department of Transportation will receive $1.8 million to design and implement an integrated technology system for trip scheduling and fare collection. This system will facilitate non-emergency medical transportation trips and interagency passenger transfers across 20 rural counties in southern Illinois.
- The Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority (EMBARK) will receive $415,900 to expand coordinated transportation services through the purchase of two vehicles and associated vehicle technology systems. This project aims to meet growing demand in Oklahoma City by improving access to social services, education programs, workforce development programs, non-emergency medical treatment, and wellness and nutrition services.
- The West River Transit Authority (Prairie Hills Transit) in South Dakota will receive $269,280 for a contactless payment technology system designed to enhance safety and reliability while making transit more accessible in the Black Hills region. A new trip planning mobile app and website will facilitate intercounty connections by linking riders with providers across multiple service areas.
In response to the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), FTA received 24 eligible proposals. Projects were selected based on criteria outlined in the NOFO.