Section 5310 Purchase of Transportation Services Grant

The Section 5310 Purchase of Transportation Services Grant Application Packet is administered by the West Virginia Department of Transportation, Division of Multimodal Transportation Facilities - Transit Division, using federal Section 5310 funds received through the Federal Transit Administration. The program is intended to enhance or expand demand responsive passenger transportation services for seniors and individuals with disabilities in West Virginia. Its stated purpose is to provide passenger transportation where general public passenger transportation is unavailable, insufficient, or inappropriate. Section 5310 assistance is not intended to replace other funds received for special-needs transportation or to replace transportation services already provided by an applicant or a local transit agency. Under this program, Public Transit purchases transportation services from approved organizations using a unit rate proposed by the applicant and concurred with by Public Transit. The unit rate must be based on cost per service mile, cost per service hour, or cost per passenger trip and must be supported by a cost price analysis showing project costs, proposed units of service, and local funding. Section 5310 assistance is available on an 80 percent federal and 20 percent local matching basis, and applicants must contribute at least 20 percent of total project cost. A greater local contribution is permitted but does not affect project selection. Federal funds generally may not be used as local match, although federal funds administered through a state social service agency, such as Medicaid or an Area Agency on Aging, are not treated as federal funds for purposes of this program. Indirect costs shown in the funding proposal may not exceed 10 percent. Eligible applicants include private nonprofit agencies that have secured 501(c)(3) status and are registered with the West Virginia Secretary of State as nonprofit organizations. A Certificate of Existence from the Secretary of State must be submitted; an IRS tax-exemption letter is not an acceptable substitute. Certain public bodies may also qualify, including public bodies that certify to the Governor that no nonprofit corporation or association is readily available in an area to provide service and public bodies approved by the state to coordinate services for seniors and individuals with disabilities. Public bodies must receive approval from Public Transit before completing an application. Eligible transportation must serve seniors and individuals with disabilities, and service must be open to all members of those populations rather than an exclusive clientele. Approved agencies must have, obtain, or have access to at least one wheelchair-accessible passenger vehicle that complies with ADA requirements. Out-of-state trips are generally prohibited, subject to the packet's limited provisions for incidental trips within a 50-mile radius for border-county agencies and case-by-case exemption requests. Applicants must complete the application packet and obtain a positive Local Intergovernmental Review from the appropriate Regional Planning and Development Council or Metropolitan Planning Organization. The packet advises applicants to submit their application to the local planning organization by April 17, 2026 so that the organization has approximately 30 days to review it. The positive review is mandatory when the final application is submitted. The complete application includes the title page with FEIN, Unique Identity Number, SAM.gov information and screenshot; signed assurances and verification; an authorizing resolution; Certificate of Existence; positive Local Intergovernmental Review; certifications; responses to Questions 1 through 24; financial information and funding proposal; notarized proof of local matching funds; and a current, board-approved Title VI plan. Required signatures are to be made in blue ink, and the authorizing resolution must be notarized. Applications were due to the West Virginia Division of Multimodal Transportation Facilities - Transit by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on May 18, 2026, with one original hard copy submitted to Building 5, Room A-663, 1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East, Charleston, West Virginia 25305-0432. Public Transit reviews applications in June, determines applicant eligibility, and selects eligible projects for inclusion in the State Consolidated Application to the Federal Transit Administration. Applications with missing documentation may be allowed to supply omitted items but are subject to penalty-point deductions, and no application is considered for funding without a positive Local Intergovernmental Review. Applications received after the deadline are considered only after all on-time requests have been met. Applicants may also be subject to a pre-award review addressing service capability, ADA-accessible equipment, federal compliance, financial records, and passenger, service, maintenance, and vehicle records. The packet identifies Donald Adkins, Section 5310 Program Coordinator, as the application contact at 304-558-0428 and Donald.L.Adkins@wv.gov. It states that applications are available in March, local review preparation should occur by April 17, final applications are due May 18, and review and applicant-status notification occur in June. One program-overview section states that projects awarded during the application cycle will be for a period of two years, with funding allocated annually and the annual funding level and unit rate subject to renegotiation each year. A separate Terms of Projects section states that contracts are expected to begin July 1, 2026 and run through June 30, 2027. Both statements are retained because the packet itself contains both provisions. The program receives an annual Section 5310 allocation, supporting treatment of the opportunity as a recurring annual funding cycle.

Submit the application to the appropriate planning council or MPO early enough to obtain the mandatory positive Local Intergovernmental Review; use original blue-ink signatures where required; make sure every checklist document is present because omitted documentation may result in penalty points; submit the original hard copy by the stated deadline because late applications are considered only after on-time requests have been met; ensure the proposed service is open to all seniors and individuals with disabilities and that ADA-accessible vehicle capacity is available.