Community Rides Grant is sponsored by National Rural Transit Assistance Program (National RTAP). Community Rides Grant is a grant from National Rural Transit Assistance Program (National RTAP) designed to develop or strengthen transportation partnerships and the capacity of rural transit programs.

Community Rides Grant | National RTAP Mon. - Fri. : 9:00AM - 5:00PM ET 2026 Community Rides Grants Awardees The Community Rides grant program supports local transportation partnerships and the capacity of rural transit programs.

Project selections address access to critical needs like employment, healthcare, education, healthy food, social services, regional coordination, recreation, and building technology capacity. The results of the projects will be shared nationally as promising practices. All expenses that are eligible under the FTA Section 5311 program are eligible for this program, except for vehicle purchases and costs for existing transit services.

Download the 2026 Community Rides Grant Program Press Release . Eligible applicants for awards are existing rural or tribal transit systems that receive or are eligible for FTA Formula Grants for Rural Areas (Section 5311) or Tribal Transit Program funding. Applicants must serve as the lead agency and must have a written agreement with one or more partners that demonstrate their involvement in the project.

After a detailed and thoughtful review process, National RTAP selected eight projects to fund. In addition to the evaluation criteria stated in the request for proposals (RFP), the Review Committee considered the project types, size and type of the agencies, project partners, and target audience of the project.

They also considered the applicants’ recent receipt of other significant competitive awards from FTA or FTA technical assistance centers. DJ Transit, Mississippi — $25,000 DJ Transit, Inc. of Laurel, Mississippi, will launch the GRACE Campaign (Grace Ride Access Care Endowment), a pilot project focused on supporting wellness-related transportation.

The project is backed by community stakeholders, faith-based organizations, and an established Advisory Board, and the funding will support development of the endowment and program implementation. Fresno County Rural Transit Agency, California — $48,000 Fresno County Rural Transit Agency will evaluate and implement new scheduling software to improve efficiency and enhance the rider experience.

The project will reduce operational costs, increase public awareness, and make services easier to use, while creating a replicable framework for rural transit agencies nationwide. Giles Health and Family Center, Virginia — $25,000 Giles Health and Family Center will expand its Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) services by introducing on-demand and microtransit options.

The expanded service will support trips for employment, education, healthcare, social activities, and recovery and addiction support. Heart of Iowa Regional Transit Agency (HIRTA), Iowa — $31,000 HIRTA will improve access to health care by supporting interoperability between medical platforms and transit scheduling and dispatch software, strengthening coordination between transportation and healthcare services.

Northern Kentucky Area Development District (NKADD), Kentucky — $25,000 NKADD will address disparities in scheduling and trip management systems across regional transportation providers. The project will move the region toward a coordinated demand-response transportation network through technology assessment, platform implementation, and development of an interoperable regional framework.

Snoqualmie Indian Tribe, Washington — $25,000 The Snoqualmie Tribe’s Community Rides project, in partnership with Mt. Si Senior Center’s Snoqualmie Valley Transportation, will develop a Tribal-focused marketing and outreach framework. The project builds on National RTAP’s marketing toolkit to increase awareness and use of transit services.

Suquamish Indian Tribe of the Port Madison Reservation, Washington — $25,000 The Suquamish Tribe’s van service project will establish a safe and reliable rural transit service, filling critical mobility gaps for Elders, patients, and families. By consolidating transportation functions and formalizing partnerships, the project will improve access while avoiding service duplication.

The Arc Chemung-Schuyler, New York — $80,000 The Arc Chemung-Schuyler’s Community Rides project will expand rural transportation access in Schuyler County by addressing first- and last-mile challenges. The project will extend Dial-a-Ride hours, adjust intercounty routes, add Saturday service, and pilot fare-free rides to reduce barriers and increase access to employment, healthcare, and community activities.

Past Awarded Project Outcomes The previous awarded Community Rides Grant program projects offer examples of local partnerships aimed at addressing specific transportation needs. The results of many of the projects are shared below in the form of a final report and a PowerPoint slide deck for each grantee, in alphabetical order by state. Click the name of the grantee or the arrow to expand the window.

You can also see the location of the 19 grantees in the interactive map to the right. The vast majority of the projects resulted in expanded service that is being sustained after the grant term through Section 5311 or another funding source. As of April 2024, one year after the grants concluded, 16 of the 19 projects have sustained their services or initiatives.

One key takeaway was the need for funds and support to be able to prove the demand and viability for a service in order to get consistent funding. Another takeaway is the value of local partnerships and advocates as well as peer information and support. Eastern Sierra Transit Authority, California - $73,398 Expanded demand response service area and hours in a very rural area with tribal members in the community.

Collaborators include a hospital, substance abuse recovery center, community action organization, and domestic violence center, among others. Fresno County Rural Transit Agency, California - $59,500 Conducting stakeholder outreach and developing a plan for a new on-demand service that connects rural communities with services in Fresno, utilizing new technology and electric vehicles.

Project collaborators include a social services organization and healthcare providers. Disability Services Inc., dba Envida, Colorado - $85,388 New and/or expanded transit service in counties with little to no public transit currently, involving mobility management, coordinated planning, and on-demand technology. Project collaborators include healthcare providers, substance abuse recovery centers, and employers, among others.

Penquis C. A. P.

, Inc., Maine - $100,000 Expanded transit service and hours in a very rural area, with transit service during the day and night and weekend service using transit agency vehicles and volunteer drivers. Project collaborators include hospitals, the veterans' bureau, and community organizations.

Benzie Transportation Authority, Michigan - $30,000 Implementing new technology to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of transit operations, specifically the scheduling of healthcare related trips and coordinating with medical centers. Project partners include a senior services organization and local hospital.

Clinton Area Transit System, Michigan - $100,000 New coordinated transportation program utilizing technology, involving transit and healthcare providers and area agencies on aging in a nine-county region. The focus is on health-supportive trips.

Bolivar County Council on Aging, Inc., Mississippi - $100,000 New microtransit service to access grocery stores and a food delivery service in an area with high poverty and limited access to healthy food. Collaborators include a rural transit technology company, university, various grocery stores, and a local non-profit organization.

Windrider Transit, Montana - $70,170 New transit routes as well as expanded hours for existing routes to improve access to healthcare providers, grocery shopping and more. Partners include two local medical centers as well as multiple dental practices.

Cedar County Transit, Nebraska - $97,800 New transit service into Knox County, currently without any public transit, to be provided by the neighboring county's transit system and with support from the state DOT. Healthcare providers and area agencies on aging are among the partners.

Rural Health Network of SCNY, Inc., New York - $100,000 Technology implementation and partner coordination to optimize a volunteer driver program and improve access to health supportive destinations. Partners include a volunteer transportation center, area agencies on aging, a social services organization and county planning department.

The Arc Chemung-Schuyler, New York - $80,000 New employment, healthcare, and recreation focused route to a county currently not serviced by the transit agency, working with a workforce organization, among others.

Mitchell County Transportation, North Carolina - $100,000 New fixed route in an area with only demand response during limited weekday hours, to increase mobility and access and prevent people from having to walk long distances on a dangerous highway. Collaborators include the city and county, a health-focused non-profit, and a large local employer.

McCormick County Senior Center / McCormick Area Transit, South Carolina - $100,000 New transit service in an area without public transit, with a focus on transportation to health-supportive destinations. Partners include the county, state DOT, and healthcare providers.

River Cities Public Transit, South Dakota - $90,000 Implementing new technology to improve coordination and the efficiency of transit operations to increase and improve service. The three partners are transit agencies and will also be working with healthcare centers and local organizations that work with veterans and tribes.

Upper Cumberland Human Resource Agency, Tennessee - $50,000 Improving transit information, marketing, community feedback, and trip planning capacity to increase awareness of existing transit services and improve the ease-of-use for riders. Partners include a local university and a charitable foundation.

West River Transit Authority, Inc. dba Prairie Hills Transit, South Dakota - $44,583 New transit service in an area without public transit, provided by the transit agency of a neighboring county. The service will provide access from smaller communities to the county seat for access to healthcare, shopping, and jobs, and the partners include a hospital and nursing home.

Rural Economic Assistance League (REAL), Inc., Texas - $90,000 New transit service targeted to students, with numerous partners including colleges and other educational institutions in the region, as well as county governments.

Mountain Empire Older Citizens Inc., Virginia - $53,703 Interstate route providing regional connectivity and increased access to jobs and medical care, with collaboration between a senior organization and transit agency in a neighboring state.

Sawyer County/LCO Transit Commission dba Namekagon Transit, Wisconsin - $99,540 New vanpool to a large employer in the area, which is one of the project partners and one of the only manufacturers in the area to express a desire to hire individuals with a criminal record. Another partner is the local county sheriff's office which runs a work release program. Will be open to the public.

National RTAP offers one-stop shopping for rural and tribal transit technical assistance products and services. Call, email, or chat with us and if we can’t help with your request, we’ll connect you with someone who can! " National RTAP offers one-stop shopping for rural and tribal transit technical assistance products and services.

Call, email, or chat with us and if we can’t help with your request, we’ll connect you with someone who can! " Robin Phillips, Executive Director " You go above and beyond and I wanted to let you know that I appreciate it so much and always enjoy my time with you. The presentations give me so much to bring back to my agency and my subrecipients.

" Amy Rast, Public Transit Coordinator Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) " I always used the CASE (Copy And Steal Everything) method to develop training materials until I discovered RTAP. They give it to you for free. Use it!

" John Filippone, former National RTAP Review Board Chair " National RTAP provides an essential service to rural and small transit agencies. The products are provided at no cost and help agencies maximize their resources and ensure that their employees are trained in all aspects of passenger service.

" Dan Harrigan, Former National RTAP Review Board Chair " We were able to deploy online trip planning for Glasgow Transit in less than 90 days using GTFS Builder.

Trip planning information displays in a riders' native language, which supports gencies in travel training and meeting Title VI Tyler Graham, Regional Transportation Planner Barren River Area Development District " Having a tool like GTFS Builder is really light years ahead of what it used to be at one time in terms of how fast you can put everything together.

Our university students really can't imagine transit without it, so I think it's very important for us in terms of attracting that particular demographic. " Michael Lachman, Transportation Services Manager HAPCAP - Athens Transit " In the past we used proprietary database software that was very challenging, very murky, and hard to update.

GTFS Builder is a great opportunity to make this more user-friendly, more readily updatable and it would enable us to show how to create a GTFS to more of the staff. " Jaime McKay, Former Manager of Direct Services Center for Mobility Equity " Collaboration is a buzz word these days in the industry. On behalf of our Tribal segment, I appreciate RTAP for making Tribes a partner in industry opportunities.

The organization goes over and beyond reaching partners one would not expect in a busy industry such as public transportation. Thank you for your tireless efforts! " Franklin Akoneto, Comanche Nation "We are so very thankful for all your transportation training materials.

Your resources are as valuable as gold!" Holly Walton, Transportation Assistant Manager, Curative Connections A program of the Federal Transit Administration administered by the National RTAP is committed to making this website accessible to persons with disabilities. If you need assistance accessing any content on our website or need alternative formats for our materials, please contact us at info@nationalrtap.

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