Current through Register Vol. 44, No. 51, December 21, 2022
(a) Authority for this sub-section is
established by the Aid to Localities portion of the New York State Budget Act
beginning with 1993-1994 and any future appropriation, which specifies funding
for Special Mobility Projects Related to Transit Enhancements within the
Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District.
(b) Purpose. To provide seed money for the
development and implementation of new and innovative services to improve
mobility in the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District. This money is
intended to help overcome the traditional barriers to new and innovative
services. Grants awarded from this allocation may be for a period of up to two
years, subject to reappropriation in the second year by the
legislature.
(c) Eligibility
requirements. All service providers, within the Metropolitan Commuter
Transportation District eligible for funding under the State Mass
Transportation Operating Assistance Program (STOA) are eligible to compete for
funding under this program. In addition, private for-profit, private
non-profit, quasi-public transit or ridesharing service providers are eligible
and encouraged to compete for these funds. All applications must be sponsored
by and any grant monies received will be contracted by a STOA-eligible public
agency (City or County) or non-profit corporation whose project has been
endorsed by a county in which the service is to be provided. Applicants
eligible under Section
14-g of the Transportation Law may contract
directly with the New York State Department of Transportation. Transit services
now eligible under STOA such as express commuter, suburb to suburb, local
circulation, shuttle and feeder and reverse commute services will be eligible
under this new provision, provided that they constitute new and innovative
services that do not duplicate existing transit service. In addition, certain
activities not now eligible under STOA (17 NYCRR) may be deemed eligible under
this sub-section if they are deemed to be innovative in addressing the mobility
needs of the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District. Such activities may
include but are not limited to: employer based vanpooling, guaranteed ride home
programs, and selective capital costs that facilitate new and innovative
services.
(d) Application process.
Applicants competing for funding under this sub-section shall submit an
application to the regional office of the New York State Department of
Transportation in which the service will be provided. The address may be
obtained from any of the regional offices in the metropolitan area, to include
the following:
(1) A Strategic Service Plan
describing:
(i) The market to be
served;
(ii) The nature of the
service (bus, van, feeder, reverse commute, etc.);
(iii) The estimated ridership;
(iv) budgeted total cost (operating and
capital) for the service, including the percentage funding split between this
program and other sources;
(v) Plan
for service provision following the 2 year grant eligibility period, provided
that the service performance warrants continued funding, including
identification of intended funding sources for continued service;
(vi) Other plan components, in the form of
rough estimates should include, as appropriate:
(a) Availability of capital resources in
place for use by the new service: vehicles, parking facilities, stops and
pedestrian facilities;
(b) Number
and type of vehicles to be used;
(c) General service routing
possibilities;
(d) Potential target
headways and span of service, if fixed route service is contemplated;
(e) Key land uses to be served;
(f) Availability of data resources for market
identification (i.e. existing origin/destination surveys, Census data and
Transportation Management Association employer data);
(g) Proposed approach to marketing and public
information;
(h) Operational plan,
if demand responsive service is contemplated.
(2) A narrative description of how the
service will address the objectives expressed in the selection criteria listed
in the next section E below.
(e) Selection criteria. The following
criteria will be used in determining which of the competing projects will
receive funding (The percentages listed in parenthesis reflect the relative
weight of the selection criteria):
(1)
Improvements to regional mobility (50%)
(i)
Provision of regionally based service that cross City or County
boundaries.
(ii) Facilitate greater
use of the existing transit system by bridging gaps in existing transit
service. (feeder systems, reverse commute services, etc.)
(iii) Service is tailored to new development
or redevelopment that has integrated transit into project design.
(iv) Consultation with other regional
transportation and land use agencies, as appropriate. Such entities may
include: Transportation Management Associations, New York Metropolitan
Transportation Council, Long Island Railroad, Metropolitan Suburban Bus
Authority, Suffolk County Transit, Metro North, private providers of public
transportation, county planning agencies, municipal planning agencies, major
employers or business associations, NYSDOT Regional Offices;
(2) The amount of funds to be
contributed by the entity requesting assistance (25%)
(i) Direct private sector employer or local
government participation in planning and funding;
(ii) The extent to which the service shows
the promise of being self-sustaining following the demonstration grant
period;
(iii) Potential for revenue
to be gained during the grant period through farebox receipts.
(3) The cost effectiveness of the
project (10%)
(i) Demonstrated commitment to
monitor service performance (i.e. conduct ridership surveys and document in
terms cost per degree of reduction in vehicle hours of delay);
(ii) The extent to which the service utilizes
existing resources: existing capital investments (i.e. excess parking capacity
at employer sites, existing vehicles, shelters, etc.) and existing data sources
(i.e. O/D surveys, TMA employer databases, Census Journey to Work,
etc.);
(4) Reductions in
traffic congestion: Estimated reduction in VMT resulting from trips diverted to
the new service (5%)
(5)
Improvements in air quality: Based on VMT reduction, estimated reduction in
emissions (5%)
(6) The contribution
the project shall make in meeting other Federal and State requirements
(5%)
(f) Selection
process. A project selection committee will review all applications and select
the proposals that will receive funding under this program, based upon the
above listed criteria. This committee will consist of representatives from
NYSDOT Transit Division, NYSDOT Regional offices 8, 10 and NYMTC. Grant amounts
will be based on a committee review of budget projections found in the
application, total grant funds available and a balancing of the dual objectives
of promoting the funding of as many projects as practicable as well as insuring
that any funded project has adequate funds to achieve the mobility goals of
this program. The maximum amount dedicated to any project funded out of this
appropriation shall not exceed one half of the authorized appropriation in the
first year of this grant and in any future years appropriation.
(g) Contracting, funding disbursement and
administration.
(1) A grant agreement between
NYSDOT and the grantee with direct input from the actual service
provider/subgrantee, as appropriate will set out performance milestones to be
met within agreed upon reporting intervals. It is understood in developing
these milestones that start-up of new service is a risk venture and that
guarantees of high ridership from day one of service are not possible. The
intent is to stimulate innovative mobility services, which by definition carry
few guarantees of success. Performance milestones will thus be based on
realistic expectations for new service agreed upon by the grantee and
NYSDOT.
(2) Funding disbursement
will be based on these performance milestones to be met by the service provider
at the specified reporting intervals.
(i)
Start-up funding, in an amount specified in the grant agreement, may be
provided up-front following the awarding of the grant. This will assist in
meeting the administrative, operating and capital costs of initiating
services.
(ii) At specified
reporting intervals, the grantee will document services provided based upon
performance measures which may include: ridership, cost per rider, vehicle
miles, documentation of marketing activities and strategies undertaken and
their results. After NYSDOT review of these reports at each interval and a
finding that the service has successfully met the agreed upon performance
milestones, funds will be disbursed according to a payment schedule contained
in the grant agreement.
