Access for All is a state funding program to be administered by Fresno Council of Governments (Fresno COG). The Access for All (AFA) Program was established in 2018 by Senate Bill 1376, which directed the California Public utilities Commission (CPUC) to establish a program relating to the accessibility of transportation network companies’ (TNCs, e.g., Uber & Lyft) services for persons with disabilities, including wheelchair users who need a wheelchair-accessible vehicle (WAV).
To fund the program, the CPUC instituted a $0.10 Access Fee collected on each TNC ride. There are two different ways to meet the statute’s overall goal of expanding and improving on-demand WAV transportation strive in California. The first way is for TNCs to invest Access Fee revenue to expand or improve on-demand WAV service in a particular county, and in return they can file offset requests allowing the TNC to keep some of the Access Fee revenue they collect, equal to the amount they invest in a particular county.
In the second way to meet the goal, the CPUC sets aside the remaining moneys (not claimed by the TNCs in the offset process) in a fund called the Access Fund. These funds are then distributed to Access Providers through Local Access Funds Administrators (LAFAs). The CPUC will allocate funds annually proportional to the percent of fees originating in that county. Following an application process to the CPUC, Fresno COG was formally designated the LAFA for Fresno County via Board Resolution in July 2021.
Local Allocation
In August 2021, Fresno COG received its first allocation of Access Funds. Fresno COG’s approach to administering the AFA Program in Fresno County aims to meet the need for on-demand human service transportation while implementing and building on existing related programs, services and partnerships. Fresno COG is currently in the process of developing the countywide program to award the funds to competitively selected Access Providers.
During this development phase, there are multiple consideration including:
- Identifying eligible Access Providers
- Defining eligible projects in accordance with the statute
- Establishing funding limits
- Equity
Contact Us
Contact COG staff member Jake Martinez with any questions about the Access For All Program at jmartinez@fresnocog.org
For further information on the AFA program provided by CPUC, click here.