FTA announces $15M mobility funding opportunity

Rail News Home Passenger Rail 5/9/2019 Rail News: Passenger Rail
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) yesterday announced a research funding opportunity through a new program to support innovations in public transportation service models, payment systems and automation applications. The Integrated Mobility Innovation Demonstration program will provide a total of $15 million in funding to improve mobility across the country.  Funding is divided into three focus areas: mobility on demand, strategic transit automation research and mobility payment integration. Applicants can propose projects that involve one or multiple areas.  Mobility on demand projects could be funded $8 million, and include new tools and service models that make transit more convenient and accessible. Projects could include first- and last-mile connections to transit hubs; improved mobility for those with limited transportation choices; and approaches for data sharing and collection. Strategic transit automation research could be granted $5 million, and is specifically targeted at projects identified in the FTA-developed five-year Strategic Transit Automation Research (STAR) Plan to explore the use of vehicle automation technologies in bus transit operations. Mobility payment integration projects are allocated $2 million to develop payment integration that allows seamless, complete trip planning. Applications will be accepted until Aug. 9.