State Reallocation Cuts Cumberland County’s Low-Income Transportation Funding in Half
DHHS ‑ OCFS shifts funding away from RTP based on six-year-old census data, leaving an already underfunded program nearly $150,000 short for 2027
WESTBROOK, Maine — The Regional Transportation Program (RTP) announced today that its 2027 low-income transportation funding from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child and Family Services (DHHS ‑ OCFS), has been cut by 50 percent, from $296,220 in 2026 to $147,739 in 2027. That is a loss of $148,481 in funding that directly pays for rides.
The State did not reduce overall funding for low-income transportation. Instead, DHHS ‑ OCFS chose to reallocate existing funds among providers, using census data that is six years old. As a result, Cumberland County lost half of its funding. RTP’s reduction is by far the largest of any transit provider in the state.
Even before this cut, the program was underfunded. RTP’s allocation of $296,220 had not changed in more than ten years, while the costs of drivers, fuel, vehicles, and insurance continued to rise. At $147,739, the program is now severely underfunded.
The news was deeply troubling to RTP’s Executive Team, particularly because DHHS ‑ OCFS made the change without any discussion with RTP about how it would affect riders in Cumberland County.
This funding supports rides for income-eligible residents throughout Cumberland County who have no other means of transportation. Riders use the service for grocery shopping, adult day care programs, cancer treatment, dialysis, and other essential destinations. In 2025–2026, RTP provided more than 14,000 low-income trips under this program. With half the funding, RTP estimates it may be able to provide only about 7,000 of those trips in 2027.
“This isn’t a case of the State having less money for low-income transportation. It’s a decision to take half of Cumberland County’s share based on census numbers that are six years old,” said Don Libby, Executive Director of RTP. “Our funding hadn’t increased in over a decade. We were already underfunded, and now we are severely underfunded. That means roughly 7,000 fewer rides next year for people who can least afford to lose them. What is especially troubling is that no one from DHHS ‑ OCFS came to us to talk about what this would mean for our riders before the decision was made. For many of them, this service is how they get to adult day care, go grocery shopping, and make critical doctor’s appointments and treatments. Without it, many simply go without.”
Beginning January 1, 2027, RTP expects to make the following changes to low-income transportation services:
- Reduce the number of shopper shuttles
- Cap the number of rides available for medical appointments
- Cap the number of low-income rides available per rider
- Reduce service hours for low-income riders
Current riders will be notified directly about any changes to their eligibility or scheduling before the changes take effect.
RTP is actively exploring options to lessen the impact. RTP encourages riders, community members, and municipal leaders who want to protect access to transportation for low-income residents to contact their state representatives and share how these services affect them and their communities. Residents can find their representative at legislature.maine.gov.
Residents are also encouraged to contact DHHS ‑ OCFS directly:
Bobbi Johnson, Director, DHHS ‑ OCFS
https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ocfs/about-us
Riders with questions about how these changes may affect them can call RTP at 207-774-2666 or visit www.rtprides.org.
About RTP
For 50 years, the Regional Transportation Program has provided demand-response, ADA paratransit, and microtransit services throughout Cumberland County, Maine, connecting residents to work, health care, education, and community life. RTP is a nonprofit public transit provider based in Westbrook.
