An award-winning program that took dozens of the car-less to work and back in the past two years - but ended in June when money ran out - could restart this spring if the Housing Authority of Bowling Green gets a federal grant it’s seeking.

The authority’s board voted 3-0 Wednesday to provide a full match to the requested grant, $250,000 over two years. The housing authority itself would provide $180,613 for paying staff, some office rent and vehicle use. It would seek the remaining $69,387 from its partners on the earlier program, such as The Salvation Army, said program coordinator Katie Miller.

U.S. Rep. Ron Lewis, R-Cecelia, who leaves office in January, secured the first two-year “Job Access and Reverse Commute ‘No Excuses’ Transportation Grant” in 2006. Starting in September of that year, the grant’s $297,378 took Warren County residents to jobs in Bowling Green, Franklin, Russellville, Horse Cave, Scottsville, Springfield, Tenn., and Portland, Tenn. About 75 people were expected to use the program, but it carried more than twice that number, according to Miller. Halfway through its existence, it won an award for innovation from the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials.

In April, however, she started warning riders to find other ways to work because the grant was running out.

“We stopped services in June,” Miller said. Some may have started carpooling, but she’s not sure what happened to the jobs of others, she said.

The program underwent a routine audit, and came out “perfect,” said Abraham Williams, the housing authority’s executive director. Then program managers heard there was more grant money available from the U.S. Department of Transportation, but they had to apply by the end of 2008, he said.

If the grant is approved, rides could be running again by March, Miller said.

She still has a waiting list of people who wanted to use the previous service; it would be open to Warren County residents, but managers would try to help those who might live just outside that boundary, she said.

Fewer than half of those who used the service were housing authority residents, but applicants had to prove they qualified as low-income, Miller said. They could apply through caseworkers at various social service agencies, or through LifeSkills, BRASS, the state Department of Community Based Services, the Bowling Green Human Rights Commission, the Bowling Green International Center or the housing authority.