Grants to Arkansas nonprofit organizations and agencies to address the transportation needs of individuals with disabilities and elderly residents. Funding may be used for the acquisition of necessary vehicles and equipment to improve public transportation options for transportation-dependent individuals.
This program provides capital assistance for vehicles and specialized equipment to public agencies and private nonprofit organizations to meet the needs of transportation dependent individuals. This program requires public participation and equivalency of service under Title VI and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
These strategies are designed to achieve the mission of providing public transportation service in Arkansas. Applications for 5310 Program participation must address one of these Prioritized Strategies:
- Preserve and maintain existing vehicles and equipment.
- Maximize the use of existing fleets operating within the same city or county, especially for the agencies that are providing services to the same types of clientele.
- Continue to support vehicle and operating needs of transportation providers presently receiving assistance under FTA programs.
- Coordinate the development of model contracts or agreements for sharing vehicles, personnel, joint supply purchasing, group maintenance, and insurance, etc.
- Support the development of mobility managers, other coordination programs, or one-call centers at the regional level. This includes developing marketing tools that identify regional providers and web-site development.
- Encourage regional services to employment, shopping, medical and social centers through several communities
- Expand service through existing transit providers. This means expanding current routes, extending hours of service, or increasing demand response times.
- Invest in new transit service where none presently exists.
- Bring new funding partners such as the Arkansas Department of Workforce and Area Agencies on Aging to public transit and human service transportation.