PennDOT has awarded Mercer County Community Transit a $75,000 grant to improve transportation opportunities for low-income families.

The transit agency, run by Mercer County Regional Council of Governments for the county commissioners, applied for a $252,600 Welfare to Work Transportation Demonstration Grant, and grant partners will have to decide how to scale back the project, said Bill Jones, MCCT transportation manager.

The grant application noted that there are many areas in Mercer County with no public transportation, and in the Shenango valley, where MCCT sister organization Shenango Valley Shuttle Service runs a bus system, the buses are in the garage on nights and weekends.

To work around the shortcomings of public transportation, MCCT planned to offer driver education classes through existing school and drivers education programs for low-income residents, and pay for temporary transportation by adding hours to public transportation, subsidizing fares and paying for taxi service and carpooling.

The majority of the money will be given to people who have a driver's license and can obtain auto insurance, but cannot afford a car, to buy a car, Jones said.

Prince of Peace Center, Farrell, one of the grant partners, runs the Wheels to Work program, which gives donated cars to eligible drivers.

Jones said he will have to meet with representatives from Prince of Peace and the state Department of Welfare to decide how the money will be spent.

He noted that he was originally looking at spending about $2,000 a car, but might have to cut that back to $1,000 to $1,500 a car.

He also said it has not been decided if the grant money will be used to hire a mechanic to look over cars before they are bought.

The cars must pass Pennsylvania inspection.

Money also could be used to teach people how to maintain their cars and budget so they can afford them, he said.

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Joe Pinchot at

jpinchot@sharonherald.com