Overview
MassDOT’s annual Community Transit Grant Program – managed through the Rail & Transit Division – provides funds to enhance the mobility of older adults and people with disabilities across the Commonwealth, through grants to transit authorities, municipalities and Councils on Aging, and nonprofits to operate service or support mobility management activities such hiring staff to help people learn about and learn to use transportation services. Grants towards the purchase of fully accessible vans and minivans are also available. The Community Transit Grant Program supports local stakeholders in developing and implementing local and regional solutions to local challenges, resulting in increased mobility and access for older adults and people with disabilities.
The Community Transit Grant Program can support all aspects of the trip, including a planning grant to bring potential partners together to collaborate on addressing transportation barriers, salary of a staff person to help people learn about and learn to use transit options, purchase of rides from local providers, an accessible van, salary for a driver, technology to better coordinate transportation, and door-through-door transportation for people who need additional assistance. Local organizations identify the gap in their region and then can apply for funds to help fill it.
Objective
Expanded mobility and access to key destinations, leading to reduced isolation
Accomplishments
In FY26, we awarded 131 fully accessible vans to 27 Regional Transit Authorities, municipalities, and nonprofit organizations to enhance mobility for older adults and people with disabilities across the Commonwealth. This includes 118 conventional vehicles and 13 electric vehicles. In addition, in FY26, we awarded nearly $5.5 million in funding for 47 operating and mobility management projects at 40 different entities, including Regional Transit Authorities, municipalities, and nonprofits. These grants included support for expanded senior transportation in rural Berkshire towns, long-distance medical transportation in Southeastern Massachusetts, and supported rides to anesthesia appointments at the North Andover Council on Aging; support for travel training and mobility management staff at transit authorities and Aging Service Access Points; and more.
Grantees track a range of metrics that vary based on their program, but often include ridership, number of individuals served, and outreach activities. Many grantees also report anecdotal stories that illustrate the value of these services on people’s lives.
Reflection
Many organizations across the Commonwealth are creatively working to address transportation barriers for older adults and people with disabilities. MassDOT conducts proactive outreach to ensure that these organizations are aware of the Community Transit Grant Program. We promote opportunities through our own newsletter, but also through partner newsletters including the Mass Healthy Aging Collaborative, AGE, MCOA, and others. We also seek to present at aging and disability services conferences, such as the annual MCOA conference, to further get the word out.
Local agencies doing important work for their communities sometimes lack grant-writing experience, so we also provide technical assistance during the application cycle. We offer a virtual pre-application training as well as one-on-one technical assistance. Because some applicants can be shy to reach out for one-on-one assistance, we have also begun offering virtual “office hours” where all applicants are invited to drop in, ask questions, or listen to other applicants’ questions.
In order to maximize the impact of available funds, MassDOT seeks to award projects that address true gaps – not those duplicating existing service. In some cases, applicants may not be aware of services already available, so we take steps to encourage applicants to learn about other options and put in place safeguards to avoid funding duplicative services. We stress the importance of this in the pre-application training, and the application includes questions about what other options are available and to what extent they have coordinated with their transit authority. We also invite the transit authorities and Regional Planning Agencies to weigh in informally before we award funding, to encourage regional collaboration. Finally, we invite partner agencies – such as AGE, MassAbility, and the Department of Public Health – to participate in scoring and reviewing applications.
ReiMAgine Aging 2030 Goal Alignment
- Goal 3: Places & Spaces