Where I live - the northwest - traffic is often heavy. For work, many people commute. I started recently and found out about 'incentives' given by metro/state. They are in the form of gift cards for REI, gas or bus fare. Finding this out has made getting on the bus a little easier - besides not having to fight traffic particularly in the rain.
Right, if you do have special circumstances, say a disability or something, then you don't want to miss out on government programs. For instance, as you say, there are ones for travel and also ones for cell phones, food, and even college tuition! In that case, a person could save a boatload of money.