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EXPANDING TRANSPORTATION SERVICE WITH TAXIS & LIVERIES

BOSTON – MassDevelopment today announced the availability of funding from the Taxi & Livery Operating Support Grant Program, an operational subsidy program that offers support for entities that coordinate transportation services to contract with taxi, livery, or hackney businesses for transportation and delivery needs. The program also offers funding for institutional programs and non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) initiatives. It is funded by MassDevelopment’s allocation from the Commonwealth’s Transportation Infrastructure Enhancement Trust Fund.

“MassDevelopment’s Taxi & Livery Operating Support Grant Program achieves twin goals of expanding transportation services for underserved populations and putting taxi and livery drivers to work providing these rides,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy, who serves as chair of MassDevelopment’s Board of Directors. “We invite eligible agencies and organizations to think creatively about ways to utilize this resource to improve the lives of their constituents.”

“This is an opportunity to employ taxi and livery businesses to supplement our existing transportation service capacity and get residents where they need to go,” said MassDevelopment President and CEO Dan Rivera. “From adding first- or last-mile service to enhance the usability of public transit, to providing rides to work, medical appointments, and more in transit-isolated areas of our Commonwealth, this program can support a wide range of initiatives aimed at meeting the transportation needs we face.”

Through this program, municipalities and their agencies that coordinate transportation services, regional transit authorities (RTAs), eligible nonprofits, and health and human service providers can apply for grants of up to $250,000 to contract with taxi, livery, or hackney businesses for transportation and delivery needs. Specifically, grant funds can be used for:

  • Increasing availability of wheelchair-accessible vehicles (WAVs)
  • Providing service in transit-isolated areas
  • Providing first-mile/last-mile connections to/from public transit stations
  • Supporting RTA, municipal, or health agency transportation operations
  • Improving non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) services

The full Request for Proposals is available at massdevelopment.com/taxiliverysupport. Responses are due by July 8, 2022 at 5 p.m.

The Commonwealth’s Transportation Infrastructure Enhancement Trust Fund was created by An Act Regulating Transportation Network Companies, which Governor Baker signed into law in August 2016 and is supported by a 20-cent assessment on every transportation network company ride in Massachusetts. One-quarter of the Fund is being designated to MassDevelopment to provide financial assistance to small businesses operating in the taxicab, livery, or hackney industries.

MassDevelopment previously partnered with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) to manage earlier versions of this program. In November 2020, MassDevelopment and MAPC announced $1,003,978 through the Urgent COVID-19 Taxicab, Livery, and Hackney Transportation Partnerships Grant Program to 25 cities and towns, municipal agencies, RTAs, and health and human services transportation providers. In March 2021, MassDevelopment and MAPC announced $2,543,883 through the Taxi, Livery, and Hackney Transportation Partnerships Grant Program to 47 cities and towns, municipal agencies, RTAs, nonprofits, and health and human service providers.

On May 2, 2022 MassDevelopment announced the availability of funding from the Taxi & Livery Business Support Grant Program, a separate program funded by MassDevelopment’s allocation from the Commonwealth’s Transportation Infrastructure Enhancement Trust Fund that offers taxi, livery, and hackney operators financial assistance to secure products or services that will aid in improving their competitiveness and enhancing safety capabilities in the rapidly evolving market of for-hire transportation. Responses to the Taxi & Livery Business Support Grant Program are due by June 10, 2022 at 5 p.m.

MassDevelopment, the state’s development finance agency and land bank, works with businesses, nonprofits, banks, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth. During FY2021, MassDevelopment financed or managed 416 projects generating investment of more than $1.86 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are estimated to create or support 6,578 jobs and build or preserve 1,909 housing units.