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Access for All

The purpose of the Access for All Program is to expand and improve on-demand wheelchair-accessible vehicle service throughout California.

Notice of Funding Availability

Posted March 5, 2024
Closed April 2, 2024

Metro announces the availability of $1.6 million of State Access for All funds through its Access for All grant program, and the release of its Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Solicitation for Proposals and Application Package. Applications are due via email to accessforall@metro.com by 5:00pm on the closing date (April 2, 2024).

Metro is soliciting proposals from eligible applicants for projects that increase the availability of on-demand wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) service in Los Angeles County. The Solicitation for Proposals provides detailed instructions for submittals, the reporting requirements, and the evaluation and award process.

The Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) letter and the FY 2024 Solicitation for Proposals and Application Package can be accessed via the link below “Resources for Potential Applicants”. A potential applicant webinar is scheduled for Tuesday, March 12, 2024, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. To register for the webinar in Microsoft Teams, please select this link:

Link to Webinar Registration

Program Background

Access for All is a state funding program authorized in 2018 by Senate Bill 1376, which directed the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to establish a program relating to accessibility of transportation network companies (TNCs) (e.g., Uber & Lyft) services for persons with disabilities, including wheelchair users who need a wheelchair-accessible vehicle (WAV).

To fund the program, the CPUC instituted a $0.10 Access Fee collected on each TNC ride. There are two different ways to meet the statute’s overall goal of expanding and improving on-demand WAV transportation strive in California. The first way is for TNCs to invest Access Fee revenue to expand or improve on-demand WAV service in a particular county, and in return they can file offset requests allowing the TNC to keep some of the Access Fee revenue they collect, equal to the amount they invest in a particular county.

In the second way to meet the goal, the CPUC sets aside the remaining moneys (not claimed by the TNCs in the offset process) in a fund called the Access Fund. These funds are then distributed to Access Providers through Local Access Funds Administrators (LAFAs). The CPUC will allocate funds annually proportional to the percent of fees originating in that county. Following an application process to the CPUC, Metro was formally designated the LAFA for Los Angeles County via Board Resolution in July 2021.

Local Allocation

New funding becomes available annually from the CPUC based on the number of TNC passenger trips in Los Angeles for the previous year. In 2023, Metro received its third allocation of Access Funds. Metro’s approach to administering the AFA Program in Los Angeles County aims to meet the need for on-demand WAV transportation while implementing and building on existing related programs, services, and partnerships. To achieve these objectives, Metro developed a countywide program to award the funds to competitively selected Access Providers.

Considerations made during program development included:

Identifying eligible Access Providers
Defining eligible projects in accordance with the statute
Establishing funding limits
Equity

During the development and planning for the first solicitation, Metro performed outreach and formed an advisory working group comprised of internal and external stakeholders. In preparation for the FY 2024 solicitation, Metro reconvened the advisory working group and they contributed valuable insight.