Meeting_Body
PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE
MAY 17, 2023
Subject
SUBJECT: FUNDING AWARD RECOMMENDATION FOR STATE ACCESS FOR ALL GRANT PROGRAM
Action
ACTION: APPROVE RECOMMENDATIONS
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
CONSIDER:
A. APPROVING the recommended Access for All funding awards totaling $7,865,833 (Attachment A) available to Metro through the State of California's Access for All Program; and
B. AUTHORIZING the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or their designee to negotiate and execute funding agreements with the entities receiving awards.
Issue
ISSUE
The State of California's Access for All Program provides funding to increase the availability of on-demand wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) service throughout the state. Metro is the administrator of these funds for Los Angeles County. Following Board direction (File #2022-0661), Metro conducted a competitive solicitation for project proposals. Staff requests Board approval to fund five of the proposed projects.
Background
BACKGROUND
Senate Bill (SB) 1376 requires the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), as part of its regulation of Transportation Network Companies (TNCs), to establish a program to improve the accessibility of persons with disabilities to on-demand transportation services requested through online-enabled applications or platforms. Through this program, TNCs pay a fee of $0.10 to the CPUC for each passenger trip originating in each county statewide that their providers complete. From the fees collected, the CPUC created an "Access Fund" to deposit the revenue, which is then redistributed to Local Access Fund Administrators (LAFAs) to pay for services of competitively selected Access Providers to operate on-demand WAV service in their counties. The CPUC also approved allowing LAFAs to use up to 15 percent of the amount it allocates to each county each year to cover administrative expenses.
In June 2021, the Metro Board of Directors authorized Metro to serve as the L...
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