HR4719-119

What This Bill Does

The Freedom to Move Act directs the Transportation Secretary to award competitive Freedom to Move Grants within 360 days after enactment. The grants are for eligible state, county, and local entities that want to provide fare-free public transportation and improve safe, accessible, reliable mass transit. Applications must explain how the entity will implement fare-free access, expand and improve bus service, and potentially redesign bus networks to prioritize reliable service for low-income and historically underserved communities, connections to critical services, and livability. Applicants must meaningfully consult and partner with community leaders, transit advocates, disability advocates, local education agencies, higher education institutions, community developers, labor unions, public housing agencies, and workforce development boards. They must also conduct an equity evaluation of transit and mobility gaps, including driver and non-driver commute times, ridership by mode and demographic group, average route length, and delay times. The bill requires applicants to describe current fare-evasion policies, fines, civil or criminal treatment, demographic data on fare-evasion charges, and plans to eliminate fare-evasion policies and end criminalization of fare evasion. Applicants must estimate added costs from increased ridership, such as fuel, staffing, operations, and service needs.

Who Benefits and How

Transit riders benefit from fare-free service that removes a direct cost of using buses or other public transportation. Low-income communities benefit when bus redesigns must prioritize reliable service, critical-service connections, and mobility gaps. People with disabilities benefit from required consultation with disability advocates and attention to accessible transit. Transit agencies benefit from grants that can replace lost fare revenue and fund service improvements tied to higher ridership.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Transportation Secretary must create and score competitive Freedom to Move Grants within 360 days. Eligible transit agencies must submit detailed applications covering fare-free implementation, outreach, equity evaluation, and enforcement reforms. Local governments must plan for increased ridership costs, operations, labor, and service redesign. Fare-evasion enforcement offices bear policy changes if applicants commit to ending fines or criminalization.

Key Provisions

• Creates Freedom to Move Grants for fare-free public transportation and transit improvements.
• Requires applicants to explain fare-free implementation and bus-service improvements.
• Requires consultation with transit advocates, disability advocates, education agencies, labor unions, housing agencies, and workforce boards.
• Requires equity evaluations using commute times, demographic ridership, route length, and delay data.
• Requires applicants to describe fare-evasion enforcement and plans to end fare-evasion criminalization.