| Washington, D.C.- Congressman Dale E. Kildee (D-MI) announced today that the Flint Mass Transit Authority would receive $1 million to fund the Reverse Commute Program. Kildee had originally requested these funds from the Appropriation Subcommittee on Transportation in order to meet the demands of regional expansion and increased transit options in the Ninth District. Last year, Kildee’s funding requests were included in the federal Transportation Appropriations legislation for fiscal year 2002, which was approved by Congress and signed into law. Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation has authorized the release of $1 million of the $3 million Kildee earmark to the Flint Mass Transit Authority.
“I am pleased that part of those funds that I helped secure last year are going to be released to help finance the Flint MTA Reverse Commute Program,” said Kildee. “High quality public transit is vital to our community because it provides transportation to low-income workers that contribute to our local economy. By providing more efficient and reliable services, the use of Flint MTA commuter services will continue to grow and expand.”
The $3 million earmark from last year will help the Flint MTA fund three different mass transit programs. The Flint Mass Transit Authority will use the $1 million of new federal funds to expand its popular Reverse Commute Program. By ensuring efficient, reliable transportation of workers to jobs, the reverse commute venture has been of benefit to both employers and employees. These funds will be used to provide operating assistance services for eligible passengers accessing jobs through the MTA Regional Transportation Services and the Genesee County Project Zero Program. The purpose of Project Zero is to provide transportation that enables low-income workers to get to their job sites and training. Project Zero is a cooperative agency that consists of the Genesee County Family Independence Agency, Michigan Department of Career Development, and the Michigan Department of Transportation. |
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