FY25 application cycle
The FY25 Operating and Mobility Management cycle opened September 16, with applications due November 1. For successful applications, funding will be available starting January 1, 2025.
The FY25 Accessible Vehicle cycle opened October 15, with applications due November 22. For successful applications, vehicles would be delivered by June 2026.
The Basics
The Community Transit Grant Program is an annual, competitive grant program to expand mobility for older adults and people with disabilities.
Who can apply: Transit authorities, Councils on Aging, municipalities, non-profit organizations, and private operators of public transit (shared-ride) services can apply.
Annual schedule: This year, the applications open in fall 2024. Funding for operating and mobility management awards will be available as of January 1, 2025. Vehicles will be delivered by June 2026.
Eligible projects:
Projects must center the needs of older adults and people with disabilities, and all projects must respond to a need identified in your region's Coordinated Human Service Transportation Plan. Three types of projects are eligible:
- Operating
- Mobility management
- Accessible vehicles
Scroll down for more information and examples of each project type.
This year, thanks to state funding from the Education and Transportation Fund, we can expand the scope of operating and mobility management projects to include projects that expand mobility for low-income individuals in addition to older adults and people with disabilities.
Local match: Nonprofits, municipalities, and private providers who receive vehicle awards must pay a 15% local match. State-funded operating and mobility management projects do not need to pay a local match. FTA-funded operating projects must pay a 50% local match, and FTA-funded mobility management project must pay a 20% local match.
Funding streams: The Community Transit Grant Program is MassDOT's consolidated grant program that awards three streams of funding:
- Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5310 funding - Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities
- State Mobility Assistance Program (MAP) funding for vehicle awards
- State funding through the Education and Transportation Fund for operating and mobility management projects
Additional Resources
Best Practices
Strong applications and projects incorporate these best practices:
- Respond to unmet local or regional transportation need
- Coordinate with partners across sectors to build on – not duplicate – existing transportation options
- Include riders in project planning, design, implementation, and evaluation
- Prioritize transportation for older adults and people with disabilities while offering unused seats to the general public
Read examples of how past grantees incorporated these best practices into their initiatives in our 2021 report Expanding Mobility through MassDOT's Community Transit Grant Program.
Operating Projects
You can apply to the Community Transit Grant Program for funding to operate a transportation service that expands mobility for older adults and people with disabilities:
- State Education and Transportation funds do not require a local match. FTA Section 5310 funds can pay up to 50% of the cost of operating your service, so you need a local match to cover the other 50% to be eligible for the federal funds.
- Fares or donations that you collect from riders while on the vehicle cannot count towards your local match. Federal rules require fares to be deducted from the project budget. Voluntary donations that are not received on the vehicle are not fares and can count towards local match.
- Each grant covers one year of operations. You can apply for continued funding after a year, but it is not guaranteed.
- State Education and Transportation funds allow us to expand the scope to also include projects expanding mobility for low-income individuals.
Types of operating projects could include:
- Demand-response above and beyond what transit authorities are required to provide through the Americans with Disabilities Act
- Regionalized service among multiple Councils on Aging
- A community shuttle
- On-demand transportation
- Volunteer driver programs
Operating Project Example: The Quaboag Connector
The Town of Ware and the Quaboag Valley Community Development Corporation (QVCDC) partner to operate the Quaboag Connector, a demand-response service serving ten rural towns at the intersection of Worcester, Hampden, and Hampshire Counties. Prior to the launch of the Connector, the region had very little transportation, and lack of transportation frequently emerged as a barrier preventing individuals from overcoming poverty, constraining regional economic development, and negatively affecting residents' health. Working closely with area Councils on Aging and other partners, the Town and QVCDC launched the Connector to meet the needs of local older adults and people with disabilities, with service open to others as well as space allows.
Operating Project Example: MedWheels
The Greater Attleboro-Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA) provides a regionalized approach to long-distance medical transportation through the MedWheels service. Older adults and people with disabilities in participating towns can call GATRA to arrange a ride for medical appointments outside the scope of local transportation options. GATRA staff talk to callers about all transportation options and make referrals if the caller is eligible for another service. If the caller does not have another option, GATRA provides a cab ride paid through MedWheels.
Mobility Management Projects
Mobility management projects are other ways of expanding mobility for older adults and people with disabilities, other than operating a transportation service directly. Examples include:
- Paying the salary of a staff person who helps older adults and people with disabilities learn about and learn to use local community transportation services
- Paying the salary of a travel trainer, who helps older adults and people with disabilities learn to ride fixed-route public transit
- Capital expenses that expand mobility, such as software to allow a service to provide on-demand rides so riders can take trips without planning ahead
- Convening agencies to collaborate on community transportation issues, to create an environment that fosters coordination of services
Mobility Management Example: TRIPPS
The Brookline Council on Aging (COA) received Community Transit Grant Program funds to launch a mobility management initiative inside the COA. They recruited local older adults to serve as peer mentors, conducted "field trips" to encourage older adults to try new forms of transportation, and offered workshops on how to use ride-hailing services. After a few years of grant funding, the Brookline COA took the initiative on as part of their general operating budget. Brookline received a recent grant to create videos and written guides to share their transportation technology training more widely.
Mobility Management Example: PVTA Travel Training
The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) uses Community Transit Grant funding to support their travel training program.
Mobility Management Example: Blue Hills
A public health coalition in the Greater Quincy area identified transportation equity as a social determinant of health and convened partners to learn about needs, barriers, options, and opportunities.
Additional Resources
Wheelchair-Accessible Vehicles
MassDOT procures wheelchair-accessible vehicles for transit authorities, municipalities, Councils on Aging, non-profits, and private operators of public transit (shared-ride) services. When you apply, you will get a list of the types of vehicles available, and you will check off which type(s) of vehicle(s) you are applying for. MassDOT will purchase the vehicle on your behalf and have it delivered to you. For the FY25 vehicle cycle, we anticipate delivery in June 2026. This guide contains information about vehicles that were available for the FY24 vehicle application cycle; the same vehicles are available for the FY25 cycle, but we will update the guide to reflect new prices.
MassDOT covers 85% of the cost, and you cover the remaining 15%. Transit authorities can get their vehicles fully covered, so if you are a municipality that is a member of a Regional Transit Authority (RTA), reach out to your RTA to see about partnering.
If you receive a vehicle, your drivers will need to participate in mandatory driver training.
Applicants are encouraged to explore opportunities to partner on coordinated projects and applications, including through sharing vehicles.
Applicants interested in electric vehicles may also benefit from these additional electrification resources offered by other agencies and organizations.
Please note that these vehicles are only available for services designed to meet the specific needs of older adults and people with disabilities. Fixed-route service that is open to the general public is not eligible. However, grantees are encouraged to open their vehicles to other riders as space allows or outside of typical operating hours to maximize use of the van.
Additional Resources
How to get started
Start early! Laying the groundwork ahead of time will help you have a strong application.
- Subscribe to our newsletter to get updates on and announcements of grant opportunities
- Talk with local partners and neighboring towns about collaborating on a coordinated approach. Connect with your Regional Coordinating Council if your region has one
- Reach out to the MassDOT Manager of Grant Programs and Mobility Management with any questions or for technical assistance: Rachel.L.Fichtenbaum@dot.state.ma.us
- Review your region's Coordinated Human Service Transportation Plan and other needs assessments
- Familiarize yourself with existing transportation options in your region to make sure your idea does not duplicate an existing service. Check your transit authority and search for additional options in Ride Match
- Brainstorm sources for local match funds