Rural Public Transit Grant Program (Section 5311 and 5339)

Available Documents

The Rural Public Transit grant program's goals are to address the mobility needs of Arizona's rural population by

• enhancing access to health care, shopping, education, employment, public services and recreation.
• assisting local communities in building effective transit services in rural areas.

Annually, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) allocates federal funds for the Section 5311 and Section 5339 (statewide) grant programs. These funds are apportioned to the state on a formula basis, providing funding to support the administrative, operating and capital costs of public transit services in rural areas. Federal funds for the Section 5339 (statewide) Program are apportioned to States on a formula basis as well. The state has the primary responsibility to provide for the fair and equitable distribution of funds to qualified applicants. In Arizona, the ADOT's Multimodal Planning Division manages the Rural Public Transit grant program. Funding is provided to counties, cities, towns and American Indian tribes to operate transit systems at the local level.

Funds may be used only to support public transit service in Non-Urbanized Areas, which are defined as fewer than 50,000 in population (as defined by the U.S. Census). Grants are available on a competitive basis to address the mobility needs of the general public and Rural Public Transit services are expected to coordinate with human service transportation and other providers in their service areas.

Funds may be used for public transit services operating: a) within rural communities, b) among rural communities, and c) between rural communities and Urbanized Areas. Section 5311 Program funds cannot be used for public transit services that operate exclusively within an Urbanized Area, as those services are funded through other FTA programs.

The Rural Public Transit Application is a 2-year application cycle and will be open in even years. All awards will be eligible for funding for 2 years. The application cycle kicks off with a series of workshops or webinars that provide guidance on the process in December/January. Applications are submitted in February/March, and preliminary awards are generally made in May of each year. While the application cycle is for 2 years, ADOT awards funding for each 12 month period prior to the start of the applicable federal fiscal year.

During the review and award process, ADOT will determine the type of FTA funds to award, including 5311, 5339 statewide and 5305e (planning). Grantees will be awarded funding in the first year for estimated year one expenses. Grantees in good standing will have their 2nd year of the program amended to add funding for the second year. ADOT will amend the awards towards the end of the 1st year to fund the 2nd year based on the applications and the budget discussion as well as where the sub-recipient is in their use of the funds.

ADOT strongly encourages coordination of services to facilitate the most efficient use of federal, state and local resources. Our goal is to support the development of a statewide, multimodal transportation system that is economically efficient and environmentally sound.

Participating Programs - Rural Public Transit Grant

Resources - Rural Public Transit Grant Program

Contact Us (Rural Public Transportation Program)