News : $7.8 Million in Grants to Help Connect Iowans to Critical Services

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration (FTA) today announced $7.8 million for 17 projects that will improve public transportation for people with disabilities, older adults, and low-income individuals. The grants support organizations that coordinate public transportation for underserved groups, allowing them to access healthcare, community services, education, and jobs by building partnerships among health, transportation, and human services providers.

FTA's Innovative Coordinated Access & Mobility (ICAM) Pilot Program - supported by more than $24 million in funding over five years from the President's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law - increases access for Americans all over the country, with a focus on health and wellness. Today's announcement supports transportation improvements, from designing new trip scheduling technology to buying transit vans, in 15 states.  

"Transportation is a lifeline that connects Americans to essential services, like health care, and today we're supporting innovative projects to help more people connect to the help they need" said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. "These transportation projects, made possible by President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will help people with disabilities, older adults, and low-income individuals access the health services they need."

By improving the coordination of transportation to critical services for people who have been underserved in the past, the ICAM program supports the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to improving public health, including mental health. The program provides an opportunity for older adults and people with disabilities and in low-income communities.

"This program supports statewide and regional strategies to help ensure people who are especially challenged in accessing healthcare can reach those critical services," said FTA Acting Administrator Veronica Vanterpool. "We are pleased to provide resources that help reach into the sometimes-overlooked areas of our nation to ensure no one is left behind." 

Some of the selected projects include:   

• $357,868 to Horizons, A Family Service Alliance: Horizons in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, will receive funding to buy vehicles equipped with on-demand software and integrate ride booking portal systems across its service area. The modernized system will ensure safe, affordable, on-demand transportation for people in need of transportation services when fixed-route transit is not available.

• $441,096 to the Iowa Department of Transportation: The Iowa Department of Transportation on behalf of Heart of Iowa Regional Transit Authority will receive funding to upgrade its on-demand scheduling software, buy hybrid-electric vehicles, and hire a mobility manager. The project will ensure continued mobility for older adults and riders with disabilities who utilize HIRTA services in Boone, Dallas, Jasper, Madison, Marion, Story and Warren counties in central Iowa.

In response to the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), FTA received 24 eligible proposals. Projects were selected based on criteria described in the NOFO.