Job Access and Reverse Commute Program

This program continues to be repealed. On October 1, 2013, the Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) Program was repealed by Congress under the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). The JARC Program provided grants to local g

The Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) program was established to address the unique transportation challenges faced by welfare recipients and low-income persons seeking to obtain and maintain employment. Many new entry-level jobs are located in suburban areas, and low-income individuals have difficulty accessing these jobs from their inner city, urban, or rural neighborhoods. In addition, many entry level-jobs require working late at night or on weekends when conventional transit services are either reduced or non-existent. Finally, many employment related-trips are complex and involve multiple destinations including reaching childcare facilities or other services.

The JARC program was repealed by MAP-21. When active, State and local government agencies, nonprofit agencies, and transit providers were eligible applicants for this funding assistance.

The JARC program provided funding to support projects designed to transport welfare recipients and eligible low-income individuals to and from employment activities and employment related activities and to transport residents of urbanized areas and non-urbanized areas to suburban employment opportunities.

The applications submitted were derived from a locally developed, coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan and developed through a process that included representatives of public, private and nonprofit transportation and human services providers and participation by the public.

Although repealed, the funds were used to provide funding for local programs that offer job access and reverse commute services that provided transportation for low income individuals who lived in the city core and worked in suburban locations.

Although now repealed, the period was three years from the time of allocation.

Applicants had to coordinate with: the State or local agencies that administer the State program funded under part A of Title IV of the Social Security Act, public housing agencies, the community to be served, and other stakeholders.

Funding for this program was repealed under MAP-21 and no new funding has been allocated. However, when active, the project had to be a product of the local coordinated public transit human services coordinated plan, competitively selected by the area's recipient, and included in the State Transportation Improvement Program prior to grant award. Recipients submitted applications electronically to the appropriate FTA regional office. The FTA regional offices are listed in Appendix IV of the Catalog. Recipients would distribute funding directly to the subrecipients. After the recipient had competitively selected projects to be funded, the recipient officially requested that FTA allow subrecipients that were eligible to apply directly to FTA for Section 5307 funds be allowed to apply directly to FTA for JARC funds awarded. Notification of the grant program were located at http://www.grants.gov.

49 U.S.C. 5316(f) of SAFETEA-LU states factors that had to be fair and equitable. Proposals had to also meet legal and administrative requirements, available on the FTA web site at http://www.fta.dot.gov. Projects were derived from a locally developed, coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan. Designated recipients of JARC funding conducted a competitive selection process which were described in a State Management Plan or Program Management Plan.

An FTA grant award obligating Federal funds was reflected in a grant agreement. To access funds, the recipient had to execute the grant agreement. Of the total JARC funds that were available, FTA apportioned 60 percent among designated recipients in large urbanized areas; 20 percent to the states for small urbanized areas; and 20 percent to the states for rural and small urban areas under 50,000 in population. Section 5316 funds were apportioned among the recipients by a formula which is based on the ratio that the number of eligible low-income and welfare recipients in each such area bears to the number of eligible low-income and welfare recipients in all such areas.

This assistance listing was repealed by MAP-21 and no new funding has been allocated. Job Access and Reverse Commute activities are eligible for funding under FTA's Urbanized Area Formula Grants (Section 5307) and the Formula Grants for Rural Areas (Section 5311) programs.

In the past Fiscal years when active, FTA approved JARC grants on an average of 42 days following submission of a complete application.