North Carolina Department Of Transportation

The North Carolina Department of Transportation's Integrated Mobility Division, doing business as Public Transportation, is a U.S. state government entity that acts as the prime recipient of Federal Transit Administration formula and project grants totaling $1.44 billion across 154 awards since 1999. The division does not compete for federal contracts and holds no SBA designations; it operates exclusively as a federal grant recipient distributing multimodal transportation funding to county governments, transit authorities, and non-profit organizations across North Carolina as subrecipients.

The division's federal grant portfolio centers on rural and metropolitan transit planning, capital vehicle acquisition, fleet modernization toward zero-emission technology, and operating assistance for specialized transportation serving seniors and individuals with disabilities. Recent representative awards include a $7.063 million formula grant (CFDA 20.505, June 2026) for metropolitan and statewide planning activities distributed to all MPOs across the state; a $5.002 million formula grant (CFDA 20.509, April 2026) to AppALCart for electric bus acquisition and charging infrastructure in Watauga County; a $57.2 million formula grant (CFDA 20.509, June 2025) for operating and capital assistance across rural transit agencies; and a $10.97 million formula grant (CFDA 20.513, April 2026) for operating and capital support to provide transportation for people with disabilities and older adults in rural and small urban areas. The division also manages grants under CFDA 20.526 (bus and bus facilities) for fleet replacement and facility construction across subrecipients, CFDA 20.528 (rail safety oversight), and CFDA 20.532 (ferry operations planning).

The Federal Transit Administration is the sole customer agency, accounting for 100% of the division's award portfolio across all funding sources. The division's role is strictly administrative and pass-through: it receives formula allocations and competitive project grants from FTA, then distributes these funds as subawards to over 70 distinct subrecipients statewide—county transit systems, regional transportation authorities, and community organizations—enabling continued operation and capital improvement of public transportation networks in urbanized, small urban, and rural communities. The division also manages statewide functions including rail fixed guideway safety oversight and rural transit technical assistance programming.

Award activity has declined recently. The division received 13 awards in 2022, 20 in 2023, 11 in 2024, 7 in 2025, and 6 in 2026. Fifteen awards carry ultimate completion dates within the next twenty-four months, primarily formula grants and project grants for facility construction and vehicle acquisition at subrecipients including Madison County Transportation, APPALCART, Columbus County Transit, Inter-County Public Transportation Authority, and various rural transit systems across the state. The division's subrecipient role within this structure positions it as a conduit for federal transit capital and operating funds rather than an operator or service provider itself.