Public Ridesharing, Shuttle Program: $4 Million In Grants

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The Bay Area Air Quality Management District announced in San Francisco that it is offering up to $4 million in grants to public agencies for shuttle bus and ridesharing services.

The money for the grants comes from the Transportation Fund for Clean Air. The fund amounts to $22 million per year and comes from a $4 surcharge collected by the state Department of Motor Vehicles on cars and trucks registered in the Bay Area.

The fund is spent on projects and programs to reduce air pollution from vehicle tailpipe emissions, which are managed by the air district.The $4 million shuttle and ridesharing grants are open to public entities such as cities, counties and transit agencies for support of existing services. The maximum grant for one agency is $1.5 million.

The deadline for applying for the 2017-2018 fiscal year is Sept. 11. More information can be found at the air district's website.

District Executive Officer Jack Broadbent said, "Transportation is the largest source of air pollution in the Bay Area and must be addressed in a wide range of ways to protect public health."

"Shuttle bus and ridesharing services link commuters with mass transit and play a key role in helping the region attain its clean air goals by eliminating commute trips," he said in a statement. Other projects supported by the Transportation Fund for Clean Air include the district's Spare the Air program, projects to accelerate the adoption of clean air vehicles and the creation of bicycle lanes and facilities.

Vehicle emissions account for about 36 percent of the greenhouse gases put into the air in the Bay Area, according to the air district.

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