National RTAP is excited to announce the project selections for their first grant program. The Community Rides Grant Program provides grant awards of up to $100,000 for projects that support transportation partnerships that improve social determinants of health in rural and tribal communities. Projects will improve access to critical needs like employment, healthcare, education, food, or social services, as well as build the capacity of transit programs. The project results will be shared nationally as promising practices.

Eligible applicants were current recipients and sub-recipients of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA)'s Formula Grants for Rural Areas (Section 5311) and Tribal Transit Program. The project duration is 15 months. The amount of funding available was approximately $1.5 million, and 15-20 projects were expected to be selected. This is currently a one-time grant program.

The grant program request for proposals (RFP) was released on March 11, 2021. The application deadline was May 10, 2021. To see full details about the grant program, the application process, and the webinars provided to interested applicants, go to the Community Rides Grants page.

There were 76 applications submitted, requesting a total of $6,714,287. A Review Committee composed of nine National RTAP staff reviewed the applications. The evaluation process and criteria utilized is outlined in the RFP. In addition, for the final selection of projects, the Committee considered the diversity of the project types, agency size and types, project partners, and target audience of the projects, as well as geographic diversity. The Committee also considered the applicants’ recent receipt of other significant competitive awards from FTA or other FTA technical assistance centers.

In late August, FTA approved the 19 projects that were recommended for selection by the Review Committee. The selected projects are listed below in alphabetical order by state. National RTAP will be sharing additional information about these projects in the future, and at the conclusion of the program we will share the outcomes and lessons learned to benefit the rural and tribal transit industry nationally.

• Eastern Sierra Transit Authority, California - $73,398  
• Expanded demand response service area and hours in a very rural area with tribal members in the community. Collaborators include a hospital, substance abuse recovery center, community action organization, and domestic violence center, among others. 
• Fresno County Rural Transit Agency, California - $59,500  
• Conducting stakeholder outreach and developing a plan for a new on-demand service that connects rural communities with services in Fresno, utilizing new technology and electric vehicles. Project collaborators include a social services organization and healthcare providers. 
• Disability Services Inc., dba Envida, Colorado - $85,388 
• New and/or expanded transit service in counties with little to no public transit currently, involving mobility management, coordinated planning, and on-demand technology. Project collaborators include healthcare providers, substance abuse recovery centers, and employers, among others. 
• Penquis C.A.P., Inc., Maine - $100,000  
• Expanded transit service and hours in a very rural area, with transit service during the day and night and weekend service using transit agency vehicles and volunteer drivers. Project collaborators include hospitals, the veterans' bureau, and community organizations. 
• Benzie Transportation Authority, Michigan - $30,000 
• Implementing new technology to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of transit operations, specifically the scheduling of healthcare related trips and coordinating with medical centers. Project partners include a senior services organization and local hospital. 
• Clinton Area Transit System, Michigan - $100,000 
• New coordinated transportation program utilizing technology, involving transit and healthcare providers and area agencies on aging in a nine-county region. The focus is on health-supportive trips. 
• Bolivar County Council on Aging, Inc., Mississippi - $100,000 
• New microtransit service to access grocery stores and a food delivery service in an area with high poverty and limited access to healthy food. Collaborators include a rural transit technology company, university, various grocery stores, and a local non-profit organization. 
• Windrider Transit, Montana - $70,170 
• New transit routes as well as expanded hours for existing routes to improve access to healthcare providers, grocery shopping and more. Partners include two local medical centers as well as multiple dental practices. 
• Cedar County Transit, Nebraska - $97,800 
• New transit service into Knox County, currently without any public transit, to be provided by the neighboring county's transit system and with support from the state DOT. Healthcare providers and area agencies on aging are among the partners. 
• Rural Health Network of SCNY, Inc., New York - $100,000  
• Technology implementation and partner coordination to optimize a volunteer driver program and improve access to health supportive destinations. Partners include a volunteer transportation center, area agencies on aging, a social services organization and county planning department. 
• The Arc Chemung-Schuyler, New York - $80,000 
• New employment, healthcare, and recreation focused route to a county currently not serviced by the transit agency, working with a workforce organization, among others. 
• Mitchell County Transportation, North Carolina - $100,000  
• New fixed route in an area with only demand response during limited weekday hours, to increase mobility and access and prevent people from having to walk long distances on a dangerous highway. Collaborators include the city and county, a health-focused non-profit, and a large local employer. 
• McCormick County Senior Center / McCormick Area Transit, South Carolina - $100,000 
• New transit service in an area without public transit, with a focus on transportation to health-supportive destinations. Partners include the county, state DOT, and healthcare providers. 
• River Cities Public Transit, South Dakota - $90,000  
• Implementing new technology to improve coordination and the efficiency of transit operations to increase and improve service. The three partners are transit agencies and will also be working with healthcare centers and local organizations that work with veterans and tribes. 
• West River Transit Authority, Inc. dba Prairie Hills Transit, South Dakota - $44,583 
• New transit service in an area without public transit, provided by the transit agency of a neighboring county. The service will provide access from smaller communities to the county seat for access to healthcare, shopping, and jobs, and the partners include a hospital and nursing home. 
• Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency, Tennessee - $50,000  
• Improving transit information, marketing, community feedback, and trip planning capacity to increase awareness of existing transit services and improve the ease-of-use for riders. Partners include a local university and a charitable foundation. 
• Rural Economic Assistance League (REAL), Inc., Texas - $90,000  
• New transit service targeted to students, with numerous partners including colleges and other educational institutions in the region, as well as county governments. 
• Mountain Empire Older Citizens Inc., Virginia - $53,703  
• Interstate route providing regional connectivity and increased access to jobs and medical care, with collaboration between a senior organization and transit agency in a neighboring state. 
• Sawyer County/LCO Transit Commission dba Namekagon Transit, Wisconsin - $99,540 
• New vanpool to a large employer in the area, which is one of the project partners and one of the only manufacturers in the area to express a desire to hire individuals with a criminal record. Another partner is the local county sheriff's office which runs a work release program. Will be open to the public.