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Program Description
Contact: Office of Program Management 202-366-2053
The Over-the-Road Bus (OTRB) program is authorized under Section 3038 of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), Pub. L. 105-85 as amended by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), Pub. L 109-059, August 10, 2005.
OTRBs are used in intercity fixed-route service as well as other services, such as commuter, charter, and tour bus services. These services are an important element of the U.S. transportation system. TEA-21 authorized FTA's OTRB Accessibility Program to assist OTRB operators in complying with the Department's Over-the-Road Bus Accessibility regulation, ‘’Transportation for Individuals with Disabilities’’ (49 CFR Part 37, Subpart H)
Eligible Projects: Projects to finance the incremental capital and training costs of complying with DOT's OTRB accessibility rule (49 CFR Part 37) are eligible for funding. Incremental capital costs eligible for funding include adding lifts, tie-downs, moveable seats, doors and training costs associated with using the accessibility features and serving persons with disabilities. Retrofitting vehicles with such accessibility components is also an eligible expense.
Assistance is available to operators of buses used substantially or exclusively in intercity, fixed route, over-the-road bus service. In addition, assistance is available to operators of over-the-road buses in other services, including local commuter, charter, and tour service. The Federal share may not exceed 90 percent of the project costs.
Eligible Recipients: Funding is available to private operators of over-the-road buses.
Eligible Activities: Capital projects eligible for funding include adding lifts and other accessibility components to new vehicle purchases and purchasing lifts and associated components to retrofit existing vehicles. Eligible training costs include developing training materials or providing training for local providers of over-the-road bus services.
Allocation of Funding: This funding is provided on a national competitive basis.
Match: The Federal share is 90 percent. The local share is 10 percent.
Funding Availability: Year appropriated plus two years (total of three years)
For More Information Contact: The Office of Program Management, (202) 366-2053
Funding for Fiscal Year 2007
Federal Register Notice published September 14, 2007 [HTML] [PDF]
Over-the-Road Bus (OTRB) Accessibility Program Grants
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the availability of funds in Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 for the Over-the-Road Bus (OTRB) Accessibility Program, authorized by section 3038 of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). The OTRB Accessibility Program makes funds available to private operators of over-the-road buses to finance the incremental capital and training costs of complying with DOT's over-the-road bus accessibility regulation. The authorizing legislation calls for national solicitation of applications, with grantees to be selected on a competitive basis. Federal transit funds are available to intercity fixed-route providers and other OTRB providers at up to 90 percent of the project cost.
In FY 2007, $5,700,000 was appropriated for intercity fixed-route service providers and $1,900,000 was appropriated for other OTRB service providers. In anticipation of additional appropriations for the program in FY 2008, FTA reserves the right to select projects for funding with FY 2008 funds from applications received in response to this notice.
To view or download this announcement, please use the following links [HTML] [PDF] for access to the Sep 14, 2007 Federal Register notice. FTA will announce final selections on the Website and in the Federal Register. A synopsis of this announcement will be posted in the FIND module of the government-wide electronic grants Web site at http://www.grants.gov. Applications may be submitted to FTA in hard copy or electronically through the Grants.Gov APPLY function.
DATES: Complete applications for OTRB Program grants must be submitted to the appropriate FTA regional office (see Appendix B of Federal Register Notice [MSWord] [PDF]) by November 13, 2007, or submitted electronically through the Grants.Gov Web site by the same date. Anyone intending to apply electronically should initiate the process of registering on the Grants.Gov site immediately to ensure completion of registration before the deadline for submission. FTA will announce grant selections in the Federal Register when the competitive selection process is complete.
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