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Section 5317 New Freedom Program

The 5310, 5316, and 5317 programs are collectively known as the Coordinated Mobility Programs.

New Freedom, is a grant program under the Federal Transit Administration of the US Department of Transportation, The purpose of this program is to support services and facility improvements that address the transportation needs of persons with disabilities above and beyond those required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  Funding supports capital and operating costs. The foundation of the New Freedom program is larger fixed-route urban systems that are required to have parallel or complementary para-transit systems. Typically this can include extended hours or days, expansion of service area or other operating parameters not available under previous funding mechanisms or other grant programs.

Eligible recipients include private nonprofit organizations, State or local governmental authority, and operators of public transportation services including private operators of public transportation services.  Activities that could be funded under the program include, but are not limited to:

  • Purchasing vehicles and supporting accessible taxi, ride-sharing, and vanpooling programs; including staff training, administration, and maintenance.
  • Providing paratransit services beyond minimum requirements (3/4 mile to either side of a fixed route), including for routes that run seasonally.
  • Making accessibility improvements to transit and intermodal stations not designated as key stations.
  • Supporting voucher programs for transportation services offered by human service providers.
  • Supporting mobility management and coordination programs among public transportation providers and other human service agencies providing transportation.  These activities are considered a capital cost and are defined as short-range planning and management activities and projects for improving coordination among public transportation and other transportation service providers.

Matching fund ratios in New Freedom projects (including mobility management) are 90% federal, 10% local for capital, and 50% federal, 50% local for operating assistance.

All projects funded under this program must be derived from a locally developed, coordinated public transit-human services transportation planning process. Coordination is a key element which is now required for all FTA programs. In order to be awarded grant assistance, successful applicants must be included in the Regional Coordination Plan for their area and have participated in related coordination activities such as coordination meetings.

As designated by the Governor, the ADOT Multimodal Planning Division administers New Freedom funds for rural areas (less than 50,000 population) and small urbanized areas (50,000 to 199,999 population), regions of the state, including Avondale in Maricopa County. 

FY 2012 Coordinated Mobility, 5310, 5316, & 5317 Handbook

FY 2012 Coordinated Mobility, 5310, 5316, & 5317 Application

Please contact Dan Harrigan for Section 5317 assistance.
 

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