The OTRB Accessibility program was repealed under Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama on July 6, and effective on October 1, 2012. Therefore, Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 was the last year for discretionary awards under this program.

Program Overview

The Over-the-Road Bus (OTRB) program is authorized under Section 3038 of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), Pub. L. 105-85 as amended by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), Pub. L 109-059, August 10, 2005, to assist OTRB operators in complying with the Department's Over-the-Road Bus Accessibility regulation, "Transportation for Individuals with Disabilities" (49 CFR Part 37, Subpart H) Over-the-road buses are used in intercity fixed-route, commuter, charter, and tour bus services.  These services are an important element of the U.S. transportation system.

Eligible Recipients

Assistance is available to operators of buses used substantially or exclusively in intercity, fixed route, over-the-road bus service.

Eligible Projects

Capital projects eligible for funding include adding lifts and other accessibility components to new vehicle purchases and purchasing lifts and associated components to retrofit existing vehicles. Eligible training costs include developing training materials or providing training for local providers of over-the-road bus services.

Funding Availability

Year of allocation plus two years.

Allocation of Funding

This funding is provided on a national competitive basis.

Match

Federal transit funds are available to intercity fixed-route providers and other OTRB providers at up to 90 percent of the project cost.  A 10 percent match is required.