Program Information, Eligibility, and Instructions

Program Information

The Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities program (Section 5310), administered by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), supports transportation services planned, designed, and carried out to address the specific needs of older adults and people with disabilities. The RTA is the designated recipient of Section 5310 funds apportioned by FTA to the Detroit and Ann Arbor urbanized areas (UZAs). As the designated recipient, the RTA is responsible for administering Section 5310 funds in those areas, which make up part of the RTA region of Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, and Washtenaw counties.

There is approximately $11.6 million dollars available for this call for projects for Fiscal Years 2025 and 2026. The RTA will not issue another call for projects until Fiscal Year (FY) 2027.

Eligibility

Please consult the 2024 FTA Section 5310 Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities Program Guidance and Application Instructions to review the specific eligibility requirements prior to beginning this application

Instructions

Applicants may submit no more than one application for the 2025-26 CFP using the fillable form below, which may include up to one (1) project for each of the four (4) request types. Only one project may be submitted for each request type (e.g., applicants may only submit one request for operating funds; if requesting operating funding for 2025 and 2026, request enough funding to cover both years). If requesting funds for a vehicle, the standard pricing information can be found at https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/-/media/Project/Websites/MDOT/Travel/Mobility/Public-Transportation/Applications/File/Application-Instructions-Public-Transit-Programs-Estimated-Vehicle-Prices.pdf?rev=3183163b0ff24fe08bac52fbac7bb197&hash=86DB6FFDB1B83B329CA54CD1FD3B7C48. The applicant is responsible for obtaining a quote to determine the estimated cost of any capital item that differs from those that are listed. For any questions about filling out the application, contact info@rtamichigan.org.

The deadline to submit a completed application is 5:00 p.m. February 10, 2025, applications received after this deadline will not be considered in the current funding round. Applicants are expected to follow the online form to answer the required application questions. At the end of the online form, applicants must upload the requested/supporting documentation. Applicants will enter the name, email address, date and title of the person completing the application in place of a signature. Applicants will hit “SUBMIT” when the application is completed. The application is not submitted until you receive confirmation via email. Please allow up to 24 business hours to receive the confirmation email.

Information necessary to complete the application includes:
  1. Applicant Information
  2. Service Information
  3. Project Information (as applicable)
    • Capital - Vehicles
    • Mobility Management
    • Other Capital (Software/Hardware/Facilities/Shop Equipment/Pedestrian Improvements)
    • Operating
  4. Project Benefit
  5. Performance Measures
Regardless of how many projects are included in the application, applicants must fill out all fields, except those marked as "(If Applicable)".

Applicants should complete the submittal checklist at the end of the form to ensure that they have supplied all materials required for a complete submittal. Applications lacking the correct attachments may be deemed ineligible.

For applicants who are NOT direct recipients, and are applying as a subrecipient to DDOT, SMART or TheRide, please include a letter of support from either DDOT, SMART or TheRide as your federal sponsor.

For applicants providing a letter of match funding commitment, this commitment must include proof of funds for the local match, such as bank statements, commitment letters, approved budget documents, or resolutions from governing bodies, clearly demonstrating the availability and allocation of the required funds.

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* 1. Request Type (Check all that apply)

Section 1: Applicant Information

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* 2. Legal Name of Applicant or Organization

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* 3. UEI Number

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* 4. Contact Person

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* 5. Address

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* 6. Telephone

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* 8. Website

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* 9. Entity Type

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* 10. Area

Section 2: Service Area and Transportation

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* 11. What is your service area (please provide specific municipal [city/township] names and zip codes)?

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* 12. Describe transportation services currently provided (e.g. hours of operation; fares; booking processes):

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* 13. Identify your organizations current vehicle inventory:

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* 14. How do people learn about your transportation program? What type of outreach is done for this program?

Ridership

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* 15. What is your service area population (provide data source/year)?

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* 16. How many unlinked customer trips did you provide in the last five full calendar years?

5310 Experience

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* 17. Has your agency received vehicles from either RTA, SMART, TheRide, or DDOT before?

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* 18. Has your agency successfully received and spent operating dollars from either RTA, SMART, TheRide, or DDOT before?

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* 19. Over what period of time (in years), has your agency carried out a project similar to the one(s) described in this application? How many similar projects has your agency been involved in?

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* 20. If your organization has received Section 5310 funds in the past, how do you measure your transportation program's effectiveness and what performance measures are used? (i.e., annual rides or trips provided, vehicle miles of service, cost per ride, cost per mile, etc.). Please provide recent data to describe.

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* 21. If your organization has received Section 5310 funds in the past, are there unspent funds from those grant? If so, please describe when the unspent funds were awarded to your organization and why they are unspent?

Capability

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* 22. Describe your organization's experience, knowledge, technical and administrative ability, and financial capacity to successfully and efficiently manage federal grants?

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* 23. RTA requests that you provide supporting financial documentation regarding your transportation program. What type of financial documentation has been included with this application? Please check all that apply.

Section 3: Project Information

Please complete the information inclusive of all projects included in your application before proceeding to detail the relevant individual projects in sections 3a-3d.

Note: as specified in instructions, all applications shall include a letter of funding commitment for
match funds that are not to be provided by MDOT (e.g., for Mobility Management, Operating and over-matched projects).

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* 24. Budget - Year 1 (FY2025)

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* 25. Budget - Year 2 (FY2026)

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* 26. For Vehicles, Mobility Management, and Other Capital requests, please indicate your organization's priority for the timing in receiving funding:

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* 27. For Operating requests, please indicate your organization's priority for the timing in receiving funding:

Project Description

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* 28. Briefly describe your overall application/project [include a description of all projects, each in its own paragraph(s)].

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* 29. Please describe your plan and schedule for implementing the proposed project. Attach additional pages to the submittal email if necessary.

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