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Federal Section 5310 Program

Metro is soliciting project proposals from current Metro subrecipients for available funding under the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5310 Funding Program.

October 1, 2021: Metro is soliciting project proposals from current Metro subrecipients for available funding under the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5310 Funding Program. Proposals must be for eligible operating projects that best achieve program goals and meet program requirements as described in Part I through Part III of this Solicitation for Proposals. The FTA Section 5310 funds made available for this Solicitation includes CRRSAA and ARPA funds appropriated for COVID-19 relief to support the transit industry during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Applications are due by 5:00pm on Wednesday, November 24, 2021. The Solicitation and Application documents can be downloaded here:

Section 5310 (CRRSAA & ARPA) Solicitation and Application

The intent of this funding opportunity made available under CRRSAA and ARPA is to provide direct relief to services for older adults and persons with disabilities impacted by COVID-19. Accordingly, this solicitation limits applicants to existing subrecipients seeking operating assistance, which is different than the Section 5310 solicitations Metro typically conducts. The Section 5310 program, including the more typical approach to include capital projects, is summarized below.

Overview

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is the Designated Recipient of federal Section 5310 funds apportioned for the areas in Los Angeles County that are within the urbanized areas of Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim (UZA 60020), Lancaster-Palmdale (UZA 63570), and Santa Clarita (UZA 61770). In June 2014 the FTA published Circular 9070.1G, which guides the administration of the transit assistance program for seniors and individuals with disabilities under 49 U.S.C. 5310.

As the Designated Recipient, Metro is responsible for allocating funds to eligible projects and programs, preparing and submitting grant applications to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on behalf of all subrecipients approved by the Metro Board of Directors to receive a Section 5310 funding award, managing all aspects of grant distribution, and monitoring project activity and compliance. Approximately $7 million of Section 5310 funds are available per year for LA County, and every few years Metro allocates these funds utilizing a formula and competitive solicitation process.

The goal of the Section 5310 Program is to improve mobility for seniors and individuals with disabilities by removing barriers to transportation services and expanding the transportation mobility options available when public transit is insufficient, inappropriate, or unavailable by a) exceeding the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990; b) improving access to fixed route service and decreasing reliance on complementary paratransit; and c) providing alternatives to public transportation.

The Section 5310 Program provides operating and capital assistance for public transportation projects, and addresses human services transportation needs in LA County by funding eligible capital expenditures that qualify as “Traditional” Section 5310 projects, as well as “Other” projects that are other capital and operating projects. The Section 5310 program requires that these transportation projects derive from a Coordinated Plan, which must be developed with the involvement of seniors and persons with disabilities.

Eligible Projects

Traditional Section 5310 project examples include:
• Vehicle and fleet expansion and replacement
• Wheelchair lifts, ramps, securement devices, and safety barriers
• Transit-related information technology systems, including scheduling and dispatching systems
• Mobility management programs
• Acquisition of transportation services under a contract, lease, or other arrangement

Other Section 5310 project examples include:
• Programs to serve same-day transportation for critical and non-critical need trips
• Expanding door-to-door and door-through-door services
• Travel training
• Volunteer driver programs
• Building an accessible path to a bus stop, including curb-cuts, sidewalks, accessible pedestrian signals or other accessible features
• Safety equipment, supplies and services
• Purchasing vehicles to support new accessible taxi, rides sharing and/or vanpooling programs

Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants include:
• Private nonprofit (501(c)(3)) organizations (Traditional and Other)
• State or local governmental authorities (Other)
• Operators of public transportation (Other)
• State or local governmental authorities that certify that there are no nonprofit organizations readily available in the area to provide the service (Traditional)
• State or local governmental authorities that are approved by the state to coordinate services for seniors and/or individuals with disabilities in a particular area (Traditional)