Local transit services for seniors and residents with disabilities will receive nearly $4 million in combined Wisconsin state and federal funds.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) recently administered $3.99 million to 50 agencies in rural and smaller urban areas statewide with funds from the Federal Transit Administration’s Section 5310 Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities Program.
Milwaukee, Madison, Appleton, and Green Bay administer the federal 5310 program for their geographic areas under federal transportation law and in coordination with WisDOT.
The program awards grants that assist local public entities and private, nonprofit agencies provide transportation services to seniors and individuals with disabilities. Services include operating assistance, vehicle purchases, and mobility management.
“We are pleased to support organizations that provide basic mobility all across Wisconsin,” WisDOT Secretary Craig Thompson said. “Through this program, we are helping to get people, wherever they live in our state, to medical appointments, work, school, and family.”
Since the program was founded in the mid-1970s, it has helped fund the purchase of more than 2,200 vehicles in Wisconsin.
Many of this year’s grant recipients serve smaller communities in rural areas. Among the grant awardees are 14 mobility management projects that help coordinate transportation services, increase transportation capacity and connect individuals with transportation services, and 19 are operating assistance grants to help organizations defray costs.