$73 Million for Welfare-to-Work Transportation

Public Roads, Jan, 2001

Seventy-three million dollars in funds from the Job Access and Reverse Commute Program will help former welfare recipients and others needing entry-level jobs get to and from jobs.

The program, which includes 216 transit projects in 39 states and the District of Columbia, is an innovative approach to providing transportation for those who need it. The program brings together transit providers, community organizers, planners, and others committed to making the welfare reform initiative work.

The Job Access and Reverse Commute Program, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration, supports agencies all over the country as they help welfare recipients make the transition to employment and independence and as they help others who need entry-level jobs find and retain work.

Projects will include new bus or van service, extended bus routes, expanded service hours, or door-to-door service to accommodate shift and weekend workers and workers with non-traditional working hours. They also will include linking workers to jobs near child care and transit facilities, trip mapping, carpooling and van pooling, employer subsidies, and guaranteed rides home in emergency situations.