PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Riley, Josh [D-NY-19] · D–NY
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Sep 28, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-09-24 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Improving Rural Transportation Act would let the Transportation Secretary create a grant program to test transportation technologies in communities with 200,000 or fewer people. Projects could help people connect to regional transportation or develop rural ride-share services. Public transportation bodies and other approved entities could apply. Creating the program would be optional, and grants could cover no more than 80 percent of a project's cost.
This Act may be cited as the Improving Rural Transportation Act.
The Secretary may establish a program to make grants to eligible entities to carry out demonstration projects in small- or mid-sized communities for advanced transportation technologies related to surface passenger transportation modes
to demonstrate first-mile and last-mile transportation and intermodal connections to a regional transportation system
A project related to developing a ride-share program for persons in rural communities.
The term small- or mid-sized community means an area with a population of not more than 200,000 individuals.
The term Secretary means the Secretary of Transportation.
The term eligible entity means any of the following entities: (A) A State department of transportation. (B) A unit of local government. (C) A metropolitan planning organization. (D) A public transportation agency. (E) Any other entity the Secretary determines appropriate.
the Federal share of the cost of a demonstration project with respect to which a grant is made under such program may not exceed 80 percent of such cost.
Section 2 would add a new grant-program section to federal transportation law. The Secretary could establish the program for passenger transportation on land, and projects could include related technical support and planning costs.
Subchapter I of chapter 55 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section: 5508. Multimodal transportation demonstration program
The Secretary may establish a program to make grants to eligible entities to carry out demonstration projects in small- or mid-sized communities for advanced transportation technologies related to surface passenger transportation modes (including any technical support and planning costs related to such projects)
Eligible applicants would include state transportation departments, local governments, metropolitan planning organizations, public transportation agencies, and any other entity the Secretary considers appropriate.
The term eligible entity means any of the following entities: (A) A State department of transportation. (B) A unit of local government. (C) A metropolitan planning organization. (D) A public transportation agency. (E) Any other entity the Secretary determines appropriate.
Projects could test data availability or systems' ability to work together, traveler tools, automated vehicles, transportation-demand management, small-scale transit, or small electric vehicles. These projects could address connections at the beginning and end of trips and transfers between transportation modes, including transit, intercity buses, rail, aviation, and electric or zero-emission systems.
A project related to data availability or interoperability, a traveler support tool or service, an automated vehicle, an active demand management, micro-transit, or a micromobility device to demonstrate first-mile and last-mile transportation and intermodal connections to a regional transportation system, including with respect to the following: (A) Local transit, intercity bus, rail, and aviation systems. (B) Electric or zero-emission systems.
The bill's definition of a small electric transportation device would require wheels, a low-powered electric motor, a design for carrying people, a weight of no more than 100 pounds, and a maximum attainable speed of no more than 20 miles per hour.
The term micromobility device means a wheeled vehicle that satisfies the following requirements: (A) Includes a low-powered electric motor. (B) Is designed for human transport. (C) Weighs not more than 100 pounds. (D) Is not capable of attaining a maximum speed greater than 20 miles per hour.
Projects could develop rural ride-share services, defined here as commercial services through which passengers use a smartphone app to request paid, private transportation from an independent driver. The Secretary could also approve other appropriate projects.
(2) A project related to developing a ride-share program for persons in rural communities. (3) Any other project the Secretary determines appropriate.
The term ride-share program means a commercial service whereby a passenger may use a smartphone app to request private, point-to-point transportation from an independent driver for a fee.
If the program were established, applicants would have to meet application timing, format, and information requirements set by the Secretary. Applications would have to explain proposed collaboration with partners drawn from colleges and universities, states, local governments, regional transportation planning organizations, nonprofit research organizations, or private entities.
If the Secretary establishes the program described in subsection (a), an eligible entity that seeks a grant under such program shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including information relating to how such entity would collaborate with any of the following: (1) Institutions of higher education. (2) States. (3) Units of local government. (4) Regional transportation planning organizations. (5) Nonprofit research organizations. (6) Private sector entities.
If the program were established, the Secretary would have to prioritize applicants demonstrating that their approach could expand, operate reliably, use money efficiently, and work under real-world conditions.
If the Secretary establishes the program described in subsection (a), the Secretary shall prioritize any application submitted under subsection (b) from an eligible entity that demonstrates scalability, operational reliability, cost efficiency, and technology validation with respect to real-world conditions.
The federal contribution could not exceed 80 percent of a funded project's cost. The bill would allow the required non-federal contribution to include amounts available to the recipient under sections 504(b) and 505 of title 23; those referenced provisions are not reproduced in the bundle.
If the Secretary establishes the program described in subsection (a), the Federal share of the cost of a demonstration project with respect to which a grant is made under such program may not exceed 80 percent of such cost.
If the Secretary establishes the program described in subsection (a), the non-Federal share of the cost of a demonstration project with respect to which a grant is made under such program may include amounts made available to the recipient of such grant under any of the following: (A) Section 504(b) of title 23. (B) Section 505 of such title.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated September 28, 2026, records House introduction and referral to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology on September 24, 2026. It does not establish subsequent action or enactment.
Source snapshot updated 2026-09-28T14:48:27Z. 2026-09-24: Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. 2026-09-24: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-09-24. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion applies only to that version and does not establish the content or attachment history of other versions.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for a particular recipient or place was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version; accompanying materials needed to assess formal earmark status are absent.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow carve-out, special exemption, or preferential benefit was identified in the complete supplied introduced text. The program's intended beneficiaries and generally applicable grant rules do not alone warrant a finding. This conclusion applies only to the supplied version.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Sep 28, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI