Accelerating Innovative Mobility

What's New

• FTA supports U.S. DOT’s Smart Cities initiative through the Accelerating Innovative Mobility (AIM), Enhancing Mobility Innovation (EMI), Integrated Mobility Innovation (IMI), and Mobility on Demand (MOD) Sandbox programs and partnership with the Shared-Use Mobility Center. Smart, connected communities improve quality of life through innovative technologies, fostering partnerships, and leveraging data to enhance equitable, accessible mobility for all.

• On August 27, 2020, FTA announced 25 projects in 24 states and one territory will receive a share of approximately $14 million in funding through the AIM initiative to support mobility and innovation in the transit industry. View the project selections.

Overview

FTA’s Accelerating Innovative Mobility (AIM) Initiative highlights FTA’s commitment to support and advance innovation in the transit industry. AIM will drive innovation by promoting forward-thinking approaches to improve transit financing, planning, system design and service. The AIM Initiative also supports innovative approaches to advance strategies that promote accessibility, including equitable and equivalent accessibility for all travelers.

The goals of AIM are to:

• Identify, test, and prove out new approaches, technologies and service models
• Promote the most promising mobility innovations that can be implemented more broadly through FTA’s capital programs
• Establish a national network of transit stakeholders that are incorporating innovative approaches and business models to improve mobility

The primary objectives of AIM are to:

• Foster innovative transit technologies, practices and solutions that advance the state of practice for public transportation in the U.S.
• Leverage private sector investments in mobility for the benefit of transit
• Ensure innovative technologies and practices permit interoperability across systems and modes
• Share results of innovative mobility solutions with the transit industry and stakeholders

Eligible Activities

Eligible activities include all activities leading to the development and testing of innovative mobility, such as planning and developing business models, obtaining equipment and service, acquiring or developing software and hardware interfaces to implement the project, operating or implementing the new service model, and evaluating project results.

Eligible Recipients

Eligible recipients include providers of public transportation, including public transportation agencies, state/local government DOTs, and federally recognized Indian tribes. Eligible applicants may identify one or more strategic project partner(s) with a substantial interest and involvement in the project.

Eligible project partners under the AIM Initiative include, but are not limited to:

• Private for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, including shared-use mobility providers, technology system suppliers and integrators, automated vehicle technology providers, property managers and developers, and others
• Private operators of transportation services, such as employee shuttle services, airport connector services, university transportation systems, or parking and tolling or airports authorities
• Other operators of public transportation, including public transportation agencies, State/local government DOTs, and Federally recognized Indian tribes
• Bus or vehicle manufacturers or suppliers
• Banking or financial institutions
• State or local government entities, including multi-jurisdictional partnerships, and organizations, such as a Metropolitan Planning Organization
• Other organizations including research consortia or not-for-profit industry organizations, institutions of higher education, and other

Statutory Reference

Public Transportation Innovation (49 U.S.C. § 5312)

Allocation of Funding

The AIM projects are funded under FTA’s Research, Development, Demonstration and Deployment program authority.

Match

The federal share of project costs under this program is limited to 80 percent. Proposers may seek a lower federal contribution. The applicant must provide the local share of the net project cost in cash, or in-kind, and must document in its application the source of the local match. 

Selected Projects

FTA selected 25 projects in 24 states and one territory to receive a share of approximately $14 million in funding through the AIM initiative to support mobility and innovation in the transit industry. View the project selections.