Transit Pass Program

Photo provided by Capital Metro.

OVERVIEW

The Transit Empowerment Fund Board awards deeply discounted and no-cost transit passes to nonprofit social service organizations and governmental entities in Central Texas to support their clients who are low-income and transit-dependent. Awards are determined through an annual application.

The Transit Empowerment Fund (TEF) Board will accept applications for the following:

Purchase of deeply discounted CapMetro Local Bus Passes, Commuter Passes, and MetroAccess Ten Ride Booklets. Passes are available at an 80% discount from the full fare.
No Cost Passes – A limited number of no cost passes will be available. For no cost passes to be awarded, applicant organizations should make a compelling case for the critical need for the passes and explain why purchasing the passes at the deeply discounted rate presents an undue burden on the organization.

The goal of the program is to promote self-sufficiency by providing transportation for employment, healthcare, education, and social services. Recipients of the transit passes must be low-income (at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Level), reside in the Capital Metro service area, and use public transportation. The TEF Board’s target populations are: adults over the age of 65, people with disabilities, low-income workers or those enrolled in job training programs, refugees, people experiencing homelessness, Medicare card holders, Medicaid recipients, and veterans.

If your organization is a current participant in the Transit Pass Program, visit the Partner Portal for reporting form links, important documents, and answers to frequently asked questions.

2024-2025 Application Timeline

November 11, 2024: Application is released.
December 4, 2024: Optional information session. Click here to register on Zoom.
January 6, 2025: Deadline to submit applications. All applications must be submitted through the online form.
February 2025: TEF Board will review all applications and may award all, partial, or none of an applicant’s request.
March 2025: Passes will be distributed as soon as they are available.

Click here to review the 2024 Request for Applications.

2024-25 Transit Pass Program Application

Step 1 of 3

Overview
Name of Organization*
Contact Name*
First Last
Contact Phone*
Email*
Website*
Target Population
Estimated number of individuals that will receive these passes/tickets*
All recipients must be at or below 150% of poverty and transit dependent but the TEF Board has a special interest in targeting the populations listed below. Please list the percentage of passes that will go to each target population:*
Seniors over the age of 65 People with a qualifying disability Medicare card holders Medicaid recipients Refugees Individuals who are experiencing homelessness Veterans Other
Please only enter percentages in the above fields.
If other, please specify:
Does your organization utilize the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)?
If yes, what is your reasoning for applying for TEF's Transit Pass Program rather than CapMetro's HMIS Program?
If utilizing both programs, please specify how TEF passes will be used alongside HMIS program passes.
Documentation
Most recent audit*
Accepted file types: docx, doc, pdf, Max. file size: 512 MB.
A financial statement may be uploaded if a recent audit has not been conducted.
501(c)(3) certificate*
Accepted file types: docx, doc, pdf, Max. file size: 512 MB.
Required unless the applicant is a government agency.
Statement of non-discrimination*
Accepted file types: docx, doc, pdf, Max. file size: 512 MB.
All applicants must sign a statement on letterhead that they do not discriminate on the basis of gender, sexual preference, religion or race.

Transit Pass Request Form
Please place the number of passes you are requesting in the boxes below. The cost to your agency will be automatically calculated in the column on the right. The cost to your agency will be due upon receipt of the passes. Organizations will have the option to request that their passes are received in one or two allocations. Recipients of Reduced Fare and MetroAccess passes/tickets must meet the Capital Metro eligibility criteria and must already be approved by Capital Metro to receive these passes.

Your organization may request deeply discounted passes, no-cost passes, or both. For no-cost pass requests to be considered, you must complete the no-cost passes project description section of this application.

Please note: All passes are expected to be distributed within 12 months of receipt.
LOCAL FARE PASSES Requested
Local Fare Passes can be used on Capital Metro local buses. Local Bus Service includes bus routes 1-99, 200-490 & UT Shuttles. Note that they are not accepted on MetroRail, MetroExpress, MetroRapid, and Flyer routes. A full list of fares can be found at: http://www.capmetro.org/fares/

Note for reduced fare passes, rider must have a Capital Metro Reduced Fare ID card, which costs $3 and determines that they have met the Reduced Fare criteria. Eligibility Criteria can be found here: http://www.capmetro.org/RFID/
Local Day Pass ($0.50) - Deeply Discounted Passes
Actual value per item = $2.50
Local Day Pass ($0) - No-Cost Passes
Actual value per item = $2.50
Total Cost to Agency
Local 7-Day Pass ($2.25) - Deeply Discounted Passes
Actual value per item = $11.25
Local 7-Day Pass ($0) - No-Cost Passes
Actual value per item = $11.25
Total Cost to Agency
Local 31-Day Pass ($8.25) - Deeply Discounted Passes
Actual value per item = $41.25
Local 31-Day Pass ($0) - No-Cost Passes
Actual value per item = $41.25
Total Cost to Agency
Local Reduced Day Pass ($0.25) - Deeply Discounted Passes
Actual value per item = $1.25
Note: recipients must meet eligibility criteria.
Local Reduced Day Pass ($0) - No-Cost Passes
Actual value per item = $1.25 Note: recipients must meet eligibility criteria.
Total Cost to Agency
Local Reduced 31-Day Pass ($4.12) - Deeply Discounted Passes
Actual value per item = $20.60
Note: recipients must meet eligibility criteria.
Local Reduced 31-Day Pass ($0) - No-Cost Passes
Actual value per item = $20.60 Note: recipients must meet eligibility criteria.
Total Cost to Agency
Total Local Fare Passes
COMMUTER FARE PASSES Requested
Commuter Fare Passes can be used on Capital Metro local buses, MetroRapid, MetroRail, MetroExpress, and Flyer routes. Commuter Service includes MetroRail and MetroExpress Routes 900-990, plus all Local and Premium Service. A full list of fares can be found at: http://www.capmetro.org/fares/

Note for reduced fare passes, rider must have a Capital Metro Reduced Fare ID card, which costs $3 and determines that they have met the Reduced Fare criteria. Eligibility Criteria can be found here: http://www.capmetro.org/RFID/
Commuter Day Pass ($1.40) - Deeply Discounted Passes
Actual value per item = $7.00
Commuter Day Pass ($0) - No-Cost Passes
Actual value per item = $7.00
Total Cost to Agency
Commuter 7-Day Pass ($5.50) - Deeply Discounted Passes
Actual value per item = $27.50
Commuter 7-Day Pass ($0) - No-Cost Passes
Actual value per item = $27.50
Total Cost to Agency
Commuter 31-Day Pass ($19.25) - Deeply Discounted Passes
Actual value per item = $96.25
Commuter 31-Day Pass ($0) - No-Cost Passes
Actual value per item = $96.25
Total Cost to Agency
Commuter Reduced Day Pass ($0.70) - Deeply Discounted Passes
Actual value per item = $3.50
Note: recipients must meet eligibility criteria.
Commuter Reduced Day Pass ($0) - No-Cost Passes
Actual value per item = $3.50 Note: recipients must meet eligibility criteria.
Total Cost to Agency
Commuter Reduced 31-Day Pass ($9.62) - Deeply Discounted Passes
Actual value per item = $48.10
Note: recipients must meet eligibility criteria.
Commuter Reduced 31-Day Pass ($0) - No-Cost Passes
Actual value per item = $48.10 Note: recipients must meet eligibility criteria.
Total Cost to Agency
Total Commuter Fare Passes
METROACCESS SERVICE PASSES Requested
Recipients must be certified as eligible for MetroAccess service and have a current MetroAccess card. Eligibility criteria can be found here: http://www.capmetro.org/metroaccess/. A full list of fares can be found at: http://www.capmetro.org/fares/
MetroAccess 10-Ticket (Booklet ($3.50) - Deeply Discounted Passes
Actual value per item = $17.50
Note: recipients must be certified as eligible for MetroAccess service
MetroAccess 10-Ticket (Booklet ($0) - No-Cost Passes
Actual value per item = $17.50 Note: recipients must be certified as eligible for MetroAccess service
Total Cost to Agency
Total MetroAccess Fare Passes
Performance
Capital Metro will track utilization. If the organization has previously received passes from the TEF Board, the prior use of the passes and consistency in TEF quarterly reporting will be considered as part of the deliberation.
If your organization previously received passes from the TEF Board that have not been distributed, state the number of passes remaining and the anticipated timeline for distribution.
Review
Total Cost to Your Agency
This field is hidden when viewing the form
Non-Discrimination Disclaimer
I understand that by submitting this application I confirm that our organization does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations.
Type your full name to agree to complete the application*

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