Administration awards $5.5 million for community transportation

The Healey-Driscoll administration on March 20 announced nearly $5.5 million in grant funding through the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s Community Transit Grant program.

The grant funding supports operating programs and pilots that involve volunteer drivers, purchased rides, or other services to provide transportation, as well as mobility management initiatives to help residents learn about and use available transit options.

Jane Burns, director of elder services in Andover, said the funding will help to provide transportation and access to services for the town’s most vulnerable residents.

“By removing transportation barriers, we are effectively opening doors to the care and connection in our community,” Burns said.

Forty-seven grants, ranging from $8,000 to $500,000, were awarded to 40 regional transit authorities, municipalities and nonprofits. The grants will support projects such as a long-distance medical shuttle, door-to-door transportation to medical appointments, and ride programs in rural areas with limited public transit.

A full list of recipients and projects, along with information about the Community Transit Grant Program, is available online.