Improving Accessibility Through Microtransit Act

Accessible microtransit grants for riders with disabilities

This bill would create a competitive pilot to fund accessible microtransit for people with disabilities. The Department of Transportation would start the pilot within 180 days and authorize $20 million for it. Grants would be capped at $3,000,000 each and go to State or local governments, Tribal organizations, or metropolitan planning organizations. Applicants would describe which disabilities and how many square miles the service would cover. Priority would go to projects that provide wheelchair-accessible vehicles, accessible mobile apps, help low-income or unbanked riders, improve safety and system performance, deploy advanced transit tech, or directly hire workers. Grant money could buy or lease covered vehicles, pay driver training, contract operations, or buy software licenses. Recipients would have to install tamper-resistant interior cameras on each funded vehicle that can record passengers and drivers, retain recordings at least 30 days, and only allow access to authorized staff or law enforcement on lawful request. The pilot would end five years after it starts and projects would follow federal labor rules in 49 U.S.C. 5333.