Getting to and from work or even just in and around the city or town can be quite costly. The United States government understands that in these tough economic times, the cost of travel can place an additional burden on families. That’s why the government has developed transportation assistance grants that help subsidize the cost of transportation. These grants are for low-income families, for people that live in the city and need to commute to the suburbs for work, and people with disabilities.
Low-income families can benefit from transportation assistance grants provided by their city. The Job Access Grant Program provides funds for projects that transport welfare recipients and eligible low-income individuals to and from jobs and activities related to their employment. These grants can subsidize up to 80 percent of costs and operational deficits. There are also gas vouchers and gas cards provided to parents who need to travel in order to visit with their children in protective custody or to fulfill other court-ordered service agreements.
Then there is the Reverse Commute Grant. This transportation grant is designed to transport residents of urbanized and nonurbanized areas to suburban employment opportunities. These grants can easily save a single person 6-8 dollars a day in transportation costs or about 15 dollars if both parents commute. Multiplied by 5 business days that is an unbelievable $75 a week in savings or $300 a month.
The Transportation Assistance Grant Program recognizes the increased difficulty that disabled people have in moving around the city. Thus they have created the New Freedom Grant designed to provide funds for new public transportation services and public transportation alternatives beyond those currently required by the American with Disabilities Act. These new services assist disabled individuals with transportation, including transportation to and from jobs and employment support services. And like the Job Access Grant Program these funds may be used to finance up to 80 percent of costs and operational deficits.
And similarly for elderly persons the federal government has developed the Capital Assistance Program. This transportation grant provides financial assistance to cover the transportation needs of elderly persons and persons with disabilities where public transportation services are unavailable, insufficient or inappropriate. This includes all areas of the country, whether urbanized, small urban, or rural.
And because cars and buses aren’t the only forms of transportation in and around the cities the federal government also provides transportation assistance grants for other forms of transportation such as the passenger rail service. The newest of these grants is the High-speed Rail Corridors and Intercity Passenger Rail Service Grant which assists in financing the infrastructure, equipment and facility changes necessary to provide or improve high-speed rail and intercity passenger rail service. So while this does not mean that the general public receives money for their railway rickets, what it does mean is that the grant money used helps to keep ticket prices from going up.
