October 25, 2007

Dear Interested Party:

We are writing to invite you to submit a letter of interest for a Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) funding program for Suburban Mobility that may interest your community.

Funding is available for new suburban mobility services. Eligible services include but are not limited to fixed-route services, demand response services, joint dispatch services, and hybrid fixed-route/demand response services. Other services that reduce the use of single occupant vehicles are also eligible and encouraged. The MPO is particularly interested in services that act as feeders to commuter rail stations (or other transit transfer points), provide increased access to employment, and/or improve mobility for transit-dependent suburban residents.

The MPO´s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) allocates $650,000 for this purpose using federal Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality (CMAQ) funding for fiscal year 2008. CMAQ funding originates with the Federal Highway Administration and is available for Suburban Mobility Program projects through the Executive Office of Transportation and Public Works. These funds may not be used to extend or supplement funds for an existing service or program.

Eligible applicants for the Suburban Mobility Program include municipalities, Regional Transit Authorities and Regional Planning Agencies in the Boston MPO region. Proposed new services primarily must serve one or more of the 85 suburban communities listed at the bottom of this page. The MPO expects to fund at least two new suburban mobility projects in 2007.

ligible applicants for the Suburban Mobility Program include municipalities, Regional Transit Authorities and Regional Planning Agencies in the Boston MPO region. Proposed new services primarily must serve one or more of the 85 suburban communities listed in the link below entitled "Eligible Communities for the Suburban Mobility Program." The MPO expects to fund at least two new suburban mobility projects in 2008. If you think your community or organization may be interested in participating in this funding program, you should submit a letter of interest. To be eligible for funding, letters must be received by 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 6, 2007. All letters of interest should include a brief description of the proposed service and its intended market, and should be addressed to:

Barbara Lucas, Chair
Boston Region MPO
Suburban Mobility Subcommittee
10 Park Plaza, Suite 2150
Boston, MA 02116

By E-mail: blucas@mapc.org

By fax: (617) 973-8855

The MPO´s Transportation Planning and Programming Committee will review letters of interest received by the deadline and determine funding eligibility. All letters of interest will receive a response and eligible candidates will be asked to submit formal funding applications by Wednesday, February 27, 2008.

Thank you for your consideration of this program. If you have any questions, please contact one of us or Jonathan Belcher at the Boston Region MPO at jbelcher@ctps.org or 617-973-7253. We look forward to hearing from you.

David Mohler, Chair
Boston Region MPO Transportation Planning and Programming Committee

Barbara Lucas, Vice-Chair
Boston Region MPO Transportation Planning and Programming Committee

Click on this link for a list of eligible cities and towns, as well as information on ADA requriements.