MassDevelopment today announced the availability of funding from the Taxi & Livery Operating Support Grant Program, an operational subsidy program that offers support for entities that coordinate transportation services to contract with taxi, livery, or hackney businesses for transportation and delivery needs.
The program also offers funding for institutional programs and non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) initiatives. It is funded by MassDevelopment’s allocation from the Commonwealth’s Transportation Infrastructure Enhancement Trust Fund.
“MassDevelopment’s Taxi & Livery Operating Support Grant Program achieves twin goals of expanding transportation services for underserved populations and putting taxi and livery drivers to work providing these rides,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy, who serves as chair of MassDevelopment’s Board of Directors. “We invite eligible agencies and organizations to think creatively about ways to utilize this resource to improve the lives of their constituents.”
“This is an opportunity to employ taxi and livery businesses to supplement our existing transportation service capacity and get residents where they need to go,” said MassDevelopment President and CEO Dan Rivera. “From adding first- or last-mile service to enhance the usability of public transit, to providing rides to work, medical appointments, and more in transit-isolated areas of our Commonwealth, this program can support a wide range of initiatives aimed at meeting the transportation needs we face.”
Through this program, municipalities and their agencies that coordinate transportation services, regional transit authorities (RTAs), eligible nonprofits, and health and human service providers can apply for grants of up to $250,000 to contract with taxi, livery, or hackney businesses for transportation and delivery needs. Specifically, grant funds can be used for:
- Increasing availability of Wheelchair-Accessible Vehicles (WAVs);
- Providing service in transit-isolated areas;
- Providing first-mile/last-mile connections to/from public transit stations;
- Supporting RTA, municipal, or health agency transportation operations and
- Improving non-emergency medical transportation services
The full Request for Proposals is available at massdevelopment.com/taxiliverysupport. Responses are due by July 8, 2022 at 5 p.m.
