Community Transportation News

December 2025

If you have comments or questions about community transportation in Massachusetts, please reach out to us anytime at massmobility@dot.state.ma.us. Please do not reply to this newsletter, as your email will bounce.

Welcome to the December issue of Community Transportation News!

As the year draws to a close, I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight a few of the accomplishments and new services of the many providers of community transportation. I have been inspired by the innovation, collaboration and thoughtfulness of providers across Massachusetts.

Congratulations to Merrimack Valley Transit on being named Agency of the Year by Latinos in Transit (LIT)! Latinos in Transit recognize public transit agencies that demonstrate excellence in operations, innovation, and meaningful engagement with the communities it serves. Congrats to the team at MeVa on this success and recognition!

With the launch of the new South Coast Rail commuter rail service, Southeastern Regional Transit Authority (SRTA) implemented the new MicroConnector microtransit service to ensure last mile connections to rail stations in that region. Service is available in the morning and evening hours to coincide with times when the fixed route has limited service.

Finally, led by the Health Equity Partnership of North Central Massachusetts through their Anchor Collaborative Initiative, ongoing community engagement resulted in the launch of the North Central Rides Transportation Management Association (TMA) to address lack of access to public transportation for first mile and last mile transportation as well as to and from employers who are not located near public transit lines. Currently administered by the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce, the TMA was launched in Fall of 2025. A Transportation Management Association (TMA) is a non-profit, membership-based organization that focuses on improving transportation options and infrastructure within a specific region or community. 

We look forward to continuing to highlight community based transportation solutions and new services as they develop across the state!

Stay in touch,
Maria Foster, Statewide Mobility Lead

In this issue

• Martap Scholarship
• Older Driver Awareness Week
• Funding Opportunities
• New and Updated RTAP Tools
• National Rural Health Day Celebration
• Upcoming Webinars

Martap Scholarship

MArtap (Massachusetts Transit Assistance Program) is excited to announce that the maximum scholarship award for eligible transportation providers is increasing from $1,000 to $2,000! The scholarship can cover a portion of the costs associated with professional development opportunities, such as courses, conferences, and workshops. Programs must be pre-approved, transportation related, and result in improved transportation services for rural and/or small urban communities.

Eligible private non-profits and Councils on Aging can be reimbursed 100% of eligible expenses, up to $2,000 per conference/training, per person. Eligible Regional Transit Authorities and their contractors can be reimbursed 90% (up to $2,000) per conference/training, per person. Please view the scholarship application here. Scholarships cover registration and travel expenses to attend relevant conferences. More information about the MArtap Scholarship program, as well as updated scholarship requirements can be found at the MArtap Scholarship webpage.

Eligible organizations are Section 5311, 5310, MAP sub-recipients and other human service agencies that provide transportation services in rural and small urban areas. Private nonprofit and human service agencies, along with private bus operators in nonurbanized areas are also eligible for the scholarship program. 5307 recipients are eligible if they provide services in rural and small urban areas. More information on eligibility can be found on the Martap scholarship page. 

Older Driver Awareness Week

December 1-5 was Older Driver Awareness Week! The Massachusetts RMV has issued a press release to bring awareness to the unique challenges facing drivers 65 years and older. The RMV has compiled a great list of resources for older drivers highlighting information for caregivers and accessing alternative transportation options. 

Funding Opportunities

MassDOT has two current funding opportunities open now. The Complete Streets Funding Program for municipalities to address gaps in the transportation network and the Shared Streets and Spaces Program open to municipalities and public transit agencies to improve a variety of public spaces to address mobility. Both grants are due January 9th. 

New and Updated RTAP Tools

National Rural Transit Assistance Program has developed a new Volunteer Driver Program Toolkit. Volunteer driver programs are a critical component of many public transportation systems as well as human services transportation, offering specialized or expanded services beyond those typically available through general public transit services and providing a more personal service. The Toolkit contains recommendations, examples, and sample forms. 

National RTAP has also updated their list of compelling statistics from diverse national sources that organizations can use to enhance grant applications, presentations, brochures, handouts, and advertisements to demonstrate the many benefits and lasting value of public transit.

National Rural Health Day Celebration

On November 20th, the Rural Impact Podcast (to celebrate National Rural Health Day), in collaboration with the New England Rural Health Association, presented, "The Rural Effect" a special podcast event, highlighting how small investments made a huge impact on the lives of thousands of people across rural Massachusetts. The podcast recording highlights how Rural Vaccine Equity dollars provided opportunities to address food security, transportation barriers, and economic growth across Massachusetts. Grantees discussed a variety of services these grant dollars supported including transportation systems designed for and with rural communities.

Webinars

Designing Safe Streets - The Latest
On December 10th at 2:00PM, America Walks presents Designing Safe Streets with Jeremy Chrzan, Multimodal Design Practice Lead at Toole Design, who will discuss current best practices and share evolving trends in street design. Register with America Walks. 

2025 MassDOT Moving Together Conference: Session Recordings
MassDOT has posted some session recordings and presentation slides from the 2025 MassDOT Moving Together Conference. The conference took place on October 28th. Navigate to the schedule tab to see a list of sessions and links to materials. Of particular interest for mobility managers is a session on People-Focused Strategic Planning and Programming.

MassDOT Innovation Webinar Series
In this webinar from MassDOTs Innovation Webinar Series, MassDOT’s Office of Transportation Planning and researchers at UMass Amherst discuss the results of a study that looks at how transportation access metrics can help support public health planning in Massachusetts. The results showed access by walking, biking, transit, and driving to essential destinations varied in importance for predicting health outcomes. Limited access to critical destinations among low-income and zero-vehicle households was especially associated with poorer health. This webinar occurred on October 22nd. Presentation slides and recording are available now. 

Keep in touch!

Did someone forward this to you? Subscribe here

Contact us anytime if you have a suggestion for something we could cover in a future article, or if you would like to submit a guest article!

You can read past issues of the MassMobility newsletter in our archive