The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) today announced the new Accelerating Innovative Mobility (AIM) initiative, which aims to support and advance innovation in the transit industry.
The AIM initiative encourages innovation throughout the industry by promoting forward-thinking approaches to improve transit system design, service, and financing.
The AIM initiative includes $11 million in challenge grants to help transit agencies experiment with new ways of doing business, such as exploring new service models that provide more efficient and frequent service. The goal of the new service models is to encourage travelers to choose transit. FTA will also support outreach to both urban and rural areas in order to ensure widespread exposure to projects.
"Innovation has never been more important than it is today," FTA Acting Administrator K. Jane Williams said in a statement. "We need to continue to innovate to keep pace with today’s fast-changing transportation network."
AIM challenge grants will be detailed in an upcoming FTA Notice of Funding Opportunity. The initiative will establish a national network of transit agencies that will test and share project results and use FTA’s technical assistance centers to promote promising innovations.
Williams also announced that as part of the AIM initiative, FTA’s FY 2020 competitive grant programs, which will total $615 million, will highlight innovation as part of their selection criteria. This will provide applicants with an opportunity to showcase how they can incorporate new approaches to improve the rider experience.
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SOURCE: Federal Transit Administration
