Section 5310 Mobility Management Grant

The Section 5310 Mobility Management Grant Application Packet is administered in West Virginia through the West Virginia Division of Multimodal Transportation Facilities, Transit Division, as part of the federal Section 5310 Program authorized under 49 U.S.C. 5310 and identified in the packet as CFDA Number 20.513. The Federal Transit Administration apportions Section 5310 funds to states through a formula that considers the number of seniors and individuals with disabilities. The program's goal is to enhance mobility for seniors and individuals with disabilities by supporting transportation services planned, designed, and carried out to meet their special transportation needs in urbanized, small urban, and rural areas. The program also emphasizes coordination with other federally assisted programs and services to promote efficient use of federal resources. West Virginia Public Transit prepares the statewide Section 5310 application, determines applicant eligibility, develops project selection criteria, and selects projects for inclusion in the state's consolidated application to the Federal Transit Administration. Mobility Management funding is intended to build coordination among existing public transportation providers and other transportation service providers so that transportation access and service availability can be expanded. Eligible activities may include promotion and facilitation of access to transportation services; short-term management activities to plan and implement coordinated services; support for state and local coordination bodies; operation of transportation brokerages; travel navigator and neighborhood travel coordination activities; individualized travel training and trip planning; one-stop transportation traveler call centers; and operational planning for intelligent transportation technologies such as GIS mapping, GPS, coordinated scheduling, dispatching, monitoring, cost tracking, billing, and customer payment systems. Technology acquisition may also qualify as a stand-alone capital expense. Mobility Management does not include operating public transportation services. No more than 10 percent of the grant available may be used to fund indirect costs. The packet identifies eligible applicants as private non-profit organizations and operators of public transit services, including private operators of transportation services. The application form also identifies Private Non-Profit, Transit Authority, and Other or Private Operator of Public Transit as applicant types. The glossary further describes eligible subrecipients as local governmental authorities, non-profit organizations, or operators of public transportation services receiving Section 5310 assistance through the designated recipient. Projects must be derived from a locally developed Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan. Applicants are expected to coordinate to the maximum extent feasible with transportation providers and users regardless of funding source. When approved by the Federal Transit Administration, federal funds provide 80 percent of project costs. Applicant organizations must provide the remaining 20 percent from non-federal sources or, where allowable, other federal sources. Local match may come from non-U.S. Department of Transportation federal programs, state programs, local contributions, or grants, and applicants must provide documentation and notarized confirmation that the matching funds are available. Applicants must follow the packet's required format. The application checklist calls for a title page with FEIN, Unique Entity ID, SAM.gov registration information and a SAM.gov screenshot; signed Assurances and Verification; an authorizing resolution signed and notarized; a Certificate of Existence for non-profit applicants; a positive Local Intergovernmental Review; signed certifications; responses to Questions 1 through 20; financial information and the funding proposal; notarized proof of necessary local matching funds; and a current, board-approved Title VI program. The application questions address applicant identity and funding history, agency description, service area and demographics, current transportation services, maintenance planning, service to elderly and disabled persons, staffing and operational capacity, other transportation providers in the service area, project description, relationship to the coordinated transportation plan, community consultation, and resource factors such as mobility management capacity, innovative approaches, transit-based strategies, and linkages to community resources. The proposed budget requests direct labor, fringe, marketing, contractual services, printing, travel, telecommunications, miscellaneous costs, indirect costs, total project cost, and sources and availability of local contributions. Before final submission, applicants are instructed to provide a copy of the completed application to the appropriate Regional Planning and Development Council or Metropolitan Planning Organization for Local Intergovernmental Review. A positive review is mandatory when the application is submitted to Public Transit, and the packet notes that most planning organizations take about 30 days to complete a review. Applications are reviewed first for completeness and then evaluated based on existing transportation services for special-needs populations, coordination efforts, fiscal and managerial capabilities, and the proposed project. Missing documentation may be submitted after review, but penalty points may be deducted. Applications are evaluated from highest to lowest, and the highest-rated eligible projects are selected for inclusion in the state's consolidated application to the Federal Transit Administration. Late applications are considered only after on-time requests have been addressed, and Public Transit reserves the right not to score or consider a late application. For the FY 2027 cycle, applications were available in March 2026. Applicants were advised to submit applications to their Local Planning and Development Council or Metropolitan Planning Organization by April 17, 2026, for review and approval. The final application deadline was May 18, 2026, and applications had to be received by the West Virginia Division of Multimodal Transportation Facilities, Transit Division, by 4:00 p.m. EST. Transit reviews applications and determines eligibility in June. Approved projects are expected to operate from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. Approved agencies enter into a contract with Public Transit and must maintain financial and activity records, comply with federal and state requirements, and submit monthly Section 5310 expenditure and Mobility Management or Coordination reports for reimbursement. Program questions may be directed to Donald Adkins at 304-558-0428 or Donald.L.Adkins@wv.gov.

Follow the required application format; begin Local Intergovernmental Review early because most planning organizations take about 30 days; include a positive review with the final submission; use original blue signatures where required; submit complete supporting documentation because missing items can result in penalty points; demonstrate existing special-needs transportation services coordination fiscal and managerial capability and a strong proposed project; late applications may be deferred or not evaluated.