Welcome to Spring (and snow!)  In this newsletter, please find information on FTA Training, a CDOT update on vehicle purchases, and Electric Vehicle grant program that is open now!  

Stay dry out there!  

The Federal Transit Administration has developed a short course on ridership forecasting with STOPS for transit project planning.  STOPS is the Simplified Trips-on-Project Software package that FTA released in September 2013 as an optional ridership-forecasting method for sponsors of New Starts and Small Starts projects.  

The course will feature STOPS version 2.0, scheduled for release in spring 2016, as the basis for examples, illustrations, and workshops.

The course is 2.5 days long and covers how STOPS works, how to make STOPS work for individual projects, and how to use STOPS forecasts to prepare a narrative of the mobility benefits of projects.  The intended audience comprises travel forecasters with some STOPS experience who are looking to understand STOPS in detail and become proficient in various applications.

The initial offerings of the course will be in Orlando, May 12-14, and in Los Angeles, June 7-9.  

Presenters will be Bill Woodford from RSG, and Jeff Roux and Jim Ryan from FTA.

For details and registration, contact Jeff Roux at the FTA Office of Planning or call at 202-366-1806.

CDOT is working to help you buy vehicles!  CDOT recently finalized a price agreement with Davey Coach Sales for the purchase of ADA accessible vans. The price agreement is available to all government and non-profit transportation providers in the state of Colorado. The price agreement is an opportunity to purchase common transit vehicles in a simplified way that meets all applicable federal and state procurement standards. In addition to establishing a competitive price for the vehicles, the agreement includes information on warranty and after-sales service.

Various sizes and types of vans were procured, including:

To learn more about these vehicles, and for instructions on how to order them, please contact your CDOT Grant Coordinator.

Thank you to everyone who attended the 2016 Transit Town Halls.  We were very pleased with the input we received.  The collated comments and the presentation will be uploaded to the Transit & Rail website by 3/25 if you are interested in seeing the comments from your peers.

Coming soon for your review: CDOT has nearly completed its draft Grant Partner Manual.  We will be issuing it for comment on April 4.  We encourage you to take a look at this new effort of CDOT's to provide guidance and support to you as you navigate your way through the FTA and FASTER grant process.  We will seek comment until April 29 and then the final version will be officially unveiled at the CASTA Spring conference in Pueblo!

Whether you're in the snow or the heat, stay safe out there!