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New Freedom eligibility and program provisions

New Freedom program funds are available for capital and operating expenses that support new public transportation services beyond those required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, and new public transportation alternatives beyond those required by the ADA.

Eligible applicants

Eligible applicants include private non-profit organizations, local public bodies, and operators of public transportation services, including private operators of public transportation services.

Eligible projects

FTA’s New Freedom Program guidance provides a list of eligible project examples . Applicants are encouraged to develop innovative solutions to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities in their communities within the project examples listed. Examples of specific New Freedom projects that have been awarded funding are listed on FTA's website.

Transportation coordination

Presidential Executive Order 13330 on the Coordination of Human Service Programs issued by the President on February 24, 2004, creates an interdepartmental Federal Council on Access and Mobility to:

• undertake collective and individual departmental actions to reduce duplication among federally-funded human service transportation services,
• increase the efficient delivery of such services, and
• expand transportation access for older individuals, persons with disabilities, persons with low-income, children and other disadvantaged populations within their own communities.

As a first principle to achieve these goals, Federally-assisted grantees involved in providing and funding human service transportation need to plan collaboratively to more comprehensively address the needs of the populations served by various Federal programs.

Under the federal transportation reauthorization act (SAFETEA-LU), to receive program funding federal program grantees (New Freedom, Job Access and Reverse Commute [JARC], and the Elderly and Disabled Transit [5310] program) must certify that approved projects were derived from a "locally developed coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan.” The plan must be developed through a process that includes representatives of public, private, and nonprofit transportation and human services providers, and the general public.

A locally developed coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan is defined as:

A plan that identifies the transportation needs of individuals with disabilities, older adults, and people with low incomes, provides strategies for meeting those local needs, and prioritizes transportation services for funding and implementation.

WisDOT has been active in the development of statewide transportation coordination in order to achieve compliance with this requirement. Local meetings have been held throughout Wisconsin with countywide stakeholders where collaborative efforts have been addressed. Through a community transportation planning process for human service transportation programs, one of the final outcomes is a “locally developed coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan”.

TIP and STIP provisions

New Freedom projects in urbanized areas must be included in the Metropolitan Transportation Plan prepared and approved by the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) approved jointly by the MPO and the Governor, and the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) developed by the State and jointly approved by FTA and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Projects outside urbanized areas must be included in, or be consistent with, the Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan, as developed by the State, and must be included in the STIP. WisDOT will assist successful applicants with getting their projects into the STIP.

Other program provisions

An applicant seeking Federal assistance pursuant to the Federal transit laws as codified at 49 U.S.C. is subject to numerous provisions of law pertaining to public hearing requirements. Other provisions for New Freedom funding include, but are not limited to, procurement, submission of Federally required Certifications and Assurances, contracting with WisDOT, submission of reports to WisDOT, environmental protections, the Clean Air Act, private sector participation, real property acquisition and relocation assistance, pre-award and post delivery reviews for rolling stock purchases, labor protections, civil rights, drug and alcohol testing (when appropriate), restrictions on lobbying, safety and security, school transportation and commercial driver’s license requirements.

Contact: Judy Foss, judy.foss@dot.wi.gov, (608) 266-8968

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Questions about the content of this page:
Judy Foss, judy.foss@dot.wi.gov
Last modified: June 22, 2012