**GAO-07-999R**                      Published: Jul 19, 2007. Publicly Released: Jul 30, 2007.                  

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## Highlights

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 seeks to ensure equal opportunity for persons with disabilities in employment, transportation, and other matters. ADA sets minimum standards for the accessibility of public transportation systems. For example, for persons unable to use a fixed-route bus or rail system due to disability, transit systems must provide service within three-quarters of a mile of the fixed-route service and during the same hours as the fixed-route service. In February 2001, the Bush Administration announced the New Freedom Initiative, a comprehensive program intended to extend and enhance efforts begun under ADA to help bring Americans with disabilities into mainstream life. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2005 there were about 40 million noninstitutionalized persons over the age of 5 with one or more disabilities. In August 2005, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act--A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) authorized the New Freedom program, to be administered by the Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration (FTA). This program is designed to support new public transportation services and public transportation alternatives beyond those required by ADA. Congress appropriated $77.2 million for the New Freedom program in fiscal year 2006 and $81.0 million in fiscal year 2007. Program funds are distributed through grants from FTA to entities designated by state governors, and these grants may be used for operating support or capital projects. Operating and capital project grants require state/local matching funds. Projects eligible for New Freedom grants must be derived from a locally developed coordinated public transit-human service transportation plan (coordinated plan) with input from a wide variety of state and local entities, human service agencies, consumer groups, and others. On May 4, 2007, we briefed Congressional staff on the work Congress requested related to FTA's New Freedom program. The objectives of this work were to (1) determine the extent to which FTA has implemented the New Freedom program and identify concerns, if any, of selected state and local entities and (2) determine how FTA monitors program performance.

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## Topics

Transportation

Disadvantaged personsFederal aid for transportationFederal fundsGrants to statesParatransit servicesPeople with disabilitiesProgram evaluationProgram managementState-administered programsTransportation lawTransportation policiesPolicies and proceduresProgram implementation