Program Overview

Section 5310 Fact Sheet

This program provides capital and operating assistance to improve mobility for seniors and individuals with disabilities by removing barriers to transportation services and expanding transportation mobility options. The program supports transportation services that are planned, designed, and carried out to meet the special transportation needs of seniors and individuals with disabilities in rural areas.

The program provides funds for public transportation to meet the needs of older adults and people with disabilities when public transportation is insufficient, inappropriate or unavailable; public transportation projects that exceed the requirements of the American Disabilities Act (ADA); public transportation projects that improve access to fixed-route service and decrease reliance on complementary paratransit services to public transportation that meet the transportation needs of older adults and people with disabilities.

Additional information about the program can be found in FTA’s Section 5310 Circular 9070.1G Program Guidance and Application Instructions, and FTA Circular 5010.E Award Management Requirements.

Eligible Recipients & Subrecipients

Eligible recipients and/or subrecipients include:

• Private nonprofit organizations
• Federally recognized Indian tribes
• State or local governmental authorities approved by the state to coordinate services for older adults and people with disabilities
• State or local governmental authorities which certify to the Governor that no nonprofit organization or associations are readily available in the area to provide the services
• Private taxi shared ride operators

Eligible Activities

Eligible activities are divided into Traditional and Nontraditional.

Traditional project examples include:

• Buses and vans
• Wheelchair lifts, ramps, and securement devices
• Transit-related information technology systems
• Mobility management programs
• Preventive maintenance (only for Section 5310 funded vehicles)
• Acquisition of transportation services under a contract, lease, or other arrangement

Nontraditional project examples include:

• Travel training
• Volunteer driver programs
• Construction of accessible pathways to transit stops including curb-cuts, sidewalks, accessible pedestrian signals
• Signage and wayfinding improvements
• Mobility management programs
• Purchasing vehicles to support new accessible taxi ride share or vanpool programs
• Incremental cost of providing same day or door-to-door service

Funding and Match Requirements

All projects funded under this program must be included in a locally developed coordinated public transit-human service transportation plan. More information about this requirement can be found in Circular 9070.1G.

How to Apply

As a potential funding recipient, you should first determine whether your organization and project are eligible for the program, based on the descriptions provided in the previous sections and/or the related FTA circulars.

Next, please visit NDOT’s Transit Programs web page to view the informational webinar, sign up for a pre-application meeting, find links to other resources, and access the online application. This year’s application schedule is provided below. Thank you for your interest in this program.