Sponsors
Introduced December 4, 2025 by Richard Ray Larsen · Last progress December 4, 2025
The bill funds pilot transit services that improve veterans' and underserved communities' access and provide startup support to local providers, but it shifts short-term operating costs to federal taxpayers, imposes administrative burdens on small jurisdictions, and may be too limited in scope to prove scalable solutions.
Veterans will gain improved access to transportation to reach VA facilities and veteran-serving organizations through funded routes and services.
Local governments and transit providers can obtain federal funding for capital, service agreements with private providers, and operating costs to start or sustain transit services.
Rural and Tribal communities could receive new transit services, expanding mobility options in underserved areas.
Taxpayers may face additional costs if federal funds are used to cover operating expenses without a guaranteed funding source after the 5‑year pilot.
Smaller jurisdictions and Tribal governments may face administrative burden to apply for funds, comply with federal requirements (49 U.S.C. §5307/§5311), and produce required reports.
Limiting the pilot to at least five locations may not produce broadly generalizable results for nationwide veterans' transit needs, reducing the program's scalability and long-term effectiveness.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a DOT pilot grant program to fund transit capital, service, and operating projects to improve public transportation access for veterans in small urban and rural areas.
Creates a Department of Transportation pilot grant program to improve public transit access for veterans in smaller urban and rural communities. The DOT, working with the VA, must set up the pilot within one year, award grants to eligible state, local and tribal recipients for capital, service (including contracts with private providers), or operating costs, fund projects in at least five locations, and require outreach to veterans and post-pilot reporting. The pilot runs for five years from its start; after it ends grant recipients must send DOT detailed reports and DOT must consolidate and deliver those findings to Congress within a set timeframe.