Enhanced Mobility of Older Adults and People with Disabilities

The Federal Transit Administration’s Section 5310 Program provides funds to support the transport of older adults and people with disabilities where public transportation services are unavailable, insufficient or inappropriate. The program aims to improve mobility by removing barriers to transportation services and expanding transportation mobility options. 

The distribution of these funds is guided by the Coordinated Public Transit Human Services Transportation Plan. It provides strategies for meeting transportation needs and prioritizes services for funding and implementation. 

Eligible applicants 

  • Private, nonprofit organizations.
  • State or local government agencies that are approved by a state to coordinate services for seniors and individuals with disabilities or certify that there are no nonprofit organizations readily available in the area to provide the service.
  • Public transportation operators including private operators.

The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority serves as the designated recipient of funds for the Kansas City Urbanized Area. They submit Section 5310 applications to FTA for the amount allotted. Since Lee’s Summit is a separate Urbanized Area, applicants in the Lee’s Summit area should coordinate with the city to apply through MoDOT, and rural area applicants of both states should apply directly to their state departments of transportation. 

Eligible funding uses 

Section 5310 funds are available for capital or operating expenses that provide transportation to older adults and persons with disabilities where transportation services are unavailable, insufficient or inappropriate. 

Traditional Section 5310 project examples

  • Buses and vans.
  • Wheelchair lifts, ramps and securement devices.
  • Transit-related information technology systems, including scheduling, routing and one-call systems.
  • Mobility management programs.
  • Acquisition of transportation services under a contract, lease or other arrangement.

Nontraditional Section 5310 project examples

  • Travel training.
  • Volunteer driver programs.
  • Building an accessible path to a bus stop, including curb-cuts, sidewalks, accessible pedestrian signals or other accessible features.
  • Improving signage, or way-finding technology.
  • Incremental cost of providing same-day service or door-to-door service.
  • Purchasing vehicles to support new accessible taxi, ridesharing and/or vanpooling programs.
  • Mobility management programs.

2024 call for projects

MARC solicits applications for mobility-based transportation projects to be funded. The competitive selection of Section 5310 projects is based on the FFY 2023 and 2024 urban area formula-based apportionment for the Kansas City urban area.

MARC estimates the region’s funding allocation for the current cycle to be $1,648,149. The deadline for project submissions is Friday, July 19, 2024.

Visit the project portal

Pre-Application Workshop

Materials from the June 12, 2024 pre-application workshop are now available.

Watch a recording of the pre-application workshop View the pre-application workshop presentation

Application Guidebook

The application guidebook has program details including project eligibility, plan compliance, performance measures, application instructions and more is available with a list of other resources.

Section 5310 Guidebook

Relevant plans

Person in wheelchair entering bus

Coordinated Public Transit Human Services Transportation Plan

Guiding investment in enhanced mobility for older adults and people with disabilities in the Kansas City region.

RideKC bus with bike on the front in downtown Kansas City

Smart Moves Transit and Mobility Plan

Smart Moves 3.0 is the Kansas City region’s 20-year plan for transit and mobility. It builds on a solid foundation of prior planning, and prepares the region for greater choices in the transportation environment we currently live in — one that is rapidly evolving.

Other resources

Federal Transit Administration 5310 information
Local match strategy
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