Commuter Assistance Program (CAP)

Program Background

The Commuter Assistance Program is a statewide grant program for programs and projects that are both efficient and effective at increasing ridership on transit, vanpools, and carpooling, leading to moving more people on Virginia’s roads, mitigating traffic congestion, reducing single occupant vehicle trips, reducing vehicle miles traveled, reducing air pollution, and reducing fuel costs for Virginians.

Individually Administered Grant Programs

Operating Assistance

DRPT provides funding (80 percent state/20 percent local funding) to support the operation of local and regional Commuter Assistance Programs that increase carpool, vanpool, and transit use. The commuter assistance programs provide the following types of services:

Ridematching services that match commuters and travelers in carpools, vanpools, and transit options
Commuter assistance websites, mobile applications, and phone numbers
Trip planning
Guaranteed/Emergency Ride Home programs to help commuters get home when they carpool, vanpool, or use transit to work and have to leave early or work late unexpectedly
Marketing and promotion of travel options to residents, commuters, employers, and employees in Virginia

Project Assistance

DRPT’s project assistance program is a competitive grant program (80 percent state/20 percent local funding) supporting local, regional, and statewide commuter assistance projects such as employer trip reduction, vanpool assistance, and transit marketing projects that achieve a measurable increase in the use of transit, carpooling, and vanpooling. This program supports projects that:

Increase the number of private sector employers providing commuter benefits to employees who commute via public transportation or vanpools
Increase the number of private sector employers providing assistance to employees commuting in carpools or vanpools
Increase the number of private sector employees commuting via transit, carpools, or vanpools
Form new vanpools, increase the overall number of vanpools, and increase the number of vanpools riders
Create marketing projects that increase transit ridership

Application Resources and Timeline

For detailed information on the application timeline, goals, eligibility requirements, eligible expenses, and application process for all DRPT administered grants programs, view the resources below:

Application Timeline

December 1, 2024
DRPT will begin accepting applications for Fiscal Year 2026

Application Resources

CAP Grant Workshop Recording 11/14/2024

CAP Grant Workshop Presentation 11/14/2024

FY26 Transit and Commuter Assistance Grant Application Manual (Blue Book)