HR5922-119

What This Bill Does

The Improving Accessibility Through Microtransit Act directs DOT, through the Federal Transit Administration, to establish a competitive microtransit accessibility pilot within 180 days. Covered entities are State governments, local governments, Tribal organizations, and metropolitan planning organizations. Grants must improve availability of microtransit services for people with disabilities or mobility impairments, including wheelchair users. Applications must describe expected disability or mobility impairment populations, service geography in square miles, and any other information DOT requires, and a covered entity may apply on behalf of a public-private partnership. DOT must prioritize projects that improve accessibility, address lack of accessible service, deliver economic benefits such as job access or local development, provide wheelchair-accessible vehicles and accessible mobile apps, serve low-income riders without smartphones or credit cards, improve transit and microtransit performance, deploy advanced shared-use mobility technologies, improve safety, or directly hire microtransit workers. Grants are capped at $3 million. Eligible uses include buying or leasing accessible vehicles, initial and continuing driver training, contracting for microtransit operations and capital management, acquiring software or technology, and other DOT-approved accessibility uses. Recipients must install and maintain interior camera systems on each vehicle when necessary, with recordings limited to authorized recipient employees and lawful law-enforcement requests. Section 5333 labor protections apply. The pilot ends five years after it starts and is authorized at $20 million through the fiscal year of termination.

Who Benefits and How

People with disabilities and mobility impairments benefit because grants target accessible microtransit availability and wheelchair-accessible vehicles. Wheelchair users benefit from priority for vehicles with ramps, hydraulic wheelchair loading mechanisms, and accessible designs. Low-income riders without smartphones or credit cards benefit because DOT must prioritize projects that preserve access for them. State, local, Tribal, and metropolitan planning applicants benefit from competitive grants up to $3 million. Microtransit operators, accessible vehicle vendors, driver training providers, and mobility software companies benefit from eligible grant uses.

Who Bears the Burden and How

FTA staff must establish the pilot within 180 days, run competitions, score accessibility and economic benefit criteria, and monitor grants. Grant recipients must submit detailed applications, install and maintain camera systems when necessary, restrict recording access, comply with section 5333 labor protections, and manage five-year pilot requirements. Microtransit drivers and passengers may be recorded by interior camera systems during passenger service. Federal taxpayers bear the cost of the $20 million authorization.

Key Provisions

• Establishes an FTA competitive pilot grant program within 180 days for accessible microtransit services.
• Authorizes States, local governments, Tribal organizations, and metropolitan planning organizations to apply, including for public-private partnerships.
• Prioritizes projects improving disability access, wheelchair access, low-income rider access, job access, safety, advanced transit technology, and direct hiring.
• Caps each grant at $3 million and authorizes $20 million for the five-year pilot.
• Authorizes grant uses for accessible vehicles, driver training, operations contracts, software, technology, and other accessibility improvements.
• Requires vehicle camera systems when necessary, privacy limits on recordings, and section 5333 labor protections.