The South Western Oklahoma Development Authority (SWODA) Board of Trustees has approved more than $2.2 million in awards through the Rural Mobility Access Program (RMAP), a statewide initiative designed to improve transportation access for rural Oklahomans.
The awards will fund the purchase of new transit vehicles for twelve rural public transportation providers serving communities across Oklahoma. The vehicles will replace aging fleet vehicles and expand transportation capacity, helping residents access healthcare, pharmacies, grocery stores, employment, education, and other health supporting essential services.
A total of 35 vehicle applications were submitted by twelve transit agencies. Applications were reviewed and scored by staff from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) Office of Mobility and Public Transit and the Southwest Oklahoma Regional Transportation Planning Organization (SORTPO). Recommendations were then considered by the RMAP Technical Review Committee and approved by the SWODA Board of Trustees on June 9, 2026.
The approved awards will support agencies serving thousands of residents throughout rural Oklahoma, including older adults, individuals with disabilities, veterans, low-income households, and individuals living in areas where transportation options are limited.
The vehicle awards are one component of the Rural Mobility Access Program, a five-year initiative that also includes mobility navigation services, mileage reimbursement, volunteer driver programs, and the development of a regional transportation dispatch system.
RMAP is administered by SWODA in partnership with SORTPO and ODOT through funding provided by the Oklahoma Rural Health Transformation Program.
This project is supported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $223,476,948.62 with 100 percent funded by CMS/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CMS/HHS or the U.S. Government.
For more information about RMAP, contact Julie Sanders at SWODA julie@swoda.org.