Specialized Transportation Fund

The District understands that residents need transportation to be able to meet their daily needs and to help reduce social isolation.

Some residents of Muskoka are living in areas not served by the public transportation services and may not quality for community-based services, making it difficult to access the transportation they need.

The goal of the Specialized Transportation Fund (STF) is to provide assistance for people who may need financial support for transportation and who do not have access to other public or agency-provided transportation services.

Residents seeking help with transportation can apply for funding from the STF. Residents who qualify would need to identify and coordinate their own trips using the funds provided and will need to complete a Trip Funding Application Form in order to be provided with funds for each individual trip.

There are no restrictions on what types of trips can be taken using funds provided by the STF (i.e. medical, employment, shopping, events, within or outside of Muskoka, etc.), however, each individual resident will be capped at a maximum funding amount of $2,000 per year.

A successful application to the STF does not automatically guarantee that residents will qualify for funding in subsequent years, if there are any funds available.

Based on the open and transparent application process, funds will be distributed to residents who meet the required criteria on a first-come, first-served basis, up to the maximum annual funding amount.

If you are interested in applying to the STP, please read the information below regarding qualifying factors.

Do I Qualify?

To qualify for the STF, residents must:

Demonstrate that they have a financial need to access the STF for transportation.

Residents who are registered recipients of Ontario Works or Ontario Disability Support Program will qualify if they need to take a trip that is not covered by these programs.
Residents who are not currently on social assistance but can demonstrate they meet the Federal Government’s Low Income Measure will also qualify; and

Demonstrate that they live in an area NOT served by municipal public transportation or are unable to use the municipally provided services due to an extenuating circumstance; and
Demonstrate that they do not qualify for a transportation service from a community- or volunteer-based agency such as Red Cross, Helping Hands, or Muskoka Seniors and/or through other social or community supports do not have the means to access these services (i.e. if a resident qualifies for transportation from another community organization but has trouble paying the fees for that service, they would still be eligible to apply for the STF).

The Application Process

If you think you would qualify for funding from the STF and would like to apply, please complete the Application Form below to enroll in the program.

Staff will review your application and may contact you for further details or to ask for supporting documentation. You may be asked for things such as proof of income, proof of address, a note from a health care provider confirming your inability to use a transportation service that may be available at your location, or other documents that might be required to assess whether or not you qualify for funding.

Once you are deemed eligible for funding, you will then need to complete a Trip Funding Application form for the trips you’d like to take.

Click here to complete the STF Application Form.

For STF Approved Applicants

Staff will contact you to confirm your eligibility for funding and discuss the next steps, including an explanation of the Trip Funding application form, which you can view at the link below.

Click here for the Trip Funding Form.

If you need to submit a receipt, please click here.

Contact

For more information about this program, please contact:

Jacquie Evans, Muskoka Transportation Network Coordinator

705-645-2100 ext. 4419, or via email.

You can learn more about the District's Community Transportation Plan by visiting: www.engagemuskoka.ca/community-transportation