1595-6370 Commonwealth Transportation Fund Transfer to RTAs

For an operating transfer to the regional transit authorities organized pursuant to chapter 161B of the General Laws or predecessor statutes pursuant to clause (2) of subsection (d) of section 2ZZZ of chapter 29 of the General Laws; provided, that each regional transit authority receiving assistance under this item shall deliver, not later than October 6, 2026, a copy of its most recent audited financial statement to the chief financial officer of the department of transportation, the secretary of administration and finance, the state treasurer, the state comptroller, the house and senate committees on ways and means and the joint committee on transportation; provided further, that not less than $66,000,000 shall be expended by regional transit authorities to support operational enhancements and improvements, including expanded service hours, weekend services, and route expansions; provided further, that funds provided under this item in fiscal year 2026 to provide more equitable distribution of contract assistance to regional transit authorities under section 23 of chapter 161B of the General Laws shall be incorporated into each recipient's baseline funding calculation for fiscal year 2027; provided further, that funds not allocated under the preceding proviso shall be expended for operating assistance to regional transit authorities based on the following formula: (i) 60 per cent based on total transit ridership as reported on the most recent certified national transit data base report; (ii) 30 per cent based on population of its member communities from the most recent census; and (iii) 10 per cent based on service coverage area determined by the total square miles of its member communities; provided further, that not less than $35,000,000 shall be expended on grants for fare equity programs to be administered by the regional transit authorities; provided further, that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation shall oversee the distribution of said grants and shall establish grant criteria including, but not limited to, the prioritization of: (a) opportunities for increased ridership; and (b) increased service accessibility to low-income individuals; provided further, that said grants shall be distributed in a geographically equitable manner; provided further, that not later than April 1, 2027, the department shall submit a report to the joint committee on transportation and the house and senate committees on ways and means including, but not limited to: (1) grant criteria used by the department; (2) a list of grant applicants; (3) a list of successful grant applicants; (4) summaries of successful grant proposals; (5) ridership and fare data for such pilot programs; and (6) details on the mechanisms being utilized to track ridership and fare data for said pilot programs; provided further, that not less than $10,000,000 shall be expended on grants to regional transit authorities for the creation or altering of routes that advance connectivity between existing public transportation routes including, but not limited to: (A) regional transit authority bus routes; and (B) Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority routes; provided further, that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation shall oversee the distribution of said grants to the authorities and shall establish grant criteria including, but not limited to, the prioritization of: (I) opportunities for increased ridership; (II) opportunities for increased total mileage covered in a single trip; (III) opportunities to reach low-income individuals; and (IV) geographic equity; and provided further, that not less than $4,000,000 shall be expended for grants to transit providers to support expanded mobility options for older adults, people with disabilities and low-income individuals through the Community Transit Grant Program

Commonwealth Transportation Fund

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