ALBANY - New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Acting Commissioner Stanley Gee announced the selection of the projects recommended for federal funding to purchase 188 accessible buses to support agencies that transport elderly individuals and individuals with disabilities. The Department, which administers the program on behalf of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), has submitted a total of 88 grant recommendations for review. Final approval of these grant recommendations is expected in early Spring, 2010.

"Assuring that New Yorkers with special needs have access to transit to make vital connections in their lives is of great importance," said Governor David A. Paterson. "These federal grants will enable us to support these transit services throughout New York State even during this time of belt-tightening in our current economy. I commend the New York State Department of Transportation and their many public and private partners in this initiative."

Funding is provided through the FTA's Section 5310 program, which has been overseen by NYSDOT since 1974. Since its inception, the program has provided more than $170 million in aid to an estimated 460 grantees statewide, helping to purchase approximately 3,800 vehicles and providing more than 4.7 million trips annually.

The program is open to private, non-profit organizations incorporated within New York State and public bodies that certify no non-profit corporations are readily available to provide services to elderly individuals and individuals with disabilities. Applications for funding are commonly distributed at the beginning of each calendar year.