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National RTAP Welcomes Four New Review Board Members

National RTAP is pleased to announce our newest Review Board members, whose term will begin at our Spring Meeting in May 2018:
  • Amy Rast, Public Transportation Coordinator, Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans), Montpelier, VT
  • Glen Baum, Transit Coordinator, Standing Rock Public Transit, Fort Yates, ND
  • Julia Castillo, Executive Director, Heart of Iowa Regional Transit Authority (HIRTA), Urbandale, IA
  • Tim Geibel, Executive Director, Crawford Area Transit Authority (CATA), Meadville, PA
Review Board members serve for a term of three years, provide in-depth expertise and local perspectives, and guide and inform the development of our products and services.

Thank you to all the candidates who applied, those who nominated them, and to our partner organizations who participated in our Review Committee: Rachel Beyerle (NADTC), Richard Price (AASHTO) and Kristen Joyner (SWTA).
National RTAP Workshop Webinar Series: Website Builder - Start to Finish

During this webinar series on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2 PM ET through March 15, Technical Support Staff will walk participants through the process of setting up a transit website using National RTAP's Website Builder tool.  Each Tuesday lesson will be accompanied by an optional Q&A session on Thursday. By completing each session's "homework," the user will have a completed site by the end of the series.  Learn more and register  today for the one or more parts of the webinar series. 
National RTAP Disaster Preparedness: In the Eye of the Storm Peer Call Recording Posted

The second installment in the    Disaster Preparedness Peer Call Series, In the Eye of the Storm,   co-organized with    the South West Transit Association (SWTA),    was held    on February 21, 2018 and has been recorded.  Participants learned about  what role they can play in helping their community respond to fires, floods, and other disasters and what they need to do you do to protect their vehicles.  PowerPoint presentations from the Peer Call are also available.
Searching for Policies or Procedures?

Are you drafting or updating a policy or procedure for your agency or organization?  Rather than start from scratch or wade through thousands of potentially irrelevant hits on the Internet, why don't you try National RTAP's How To Find (Almost) Anything Toolkit's Policies and Procedures page?  We just updated it, and you'll find an array of policies and procedures from rural and tribal transit agencies on topics like drug and alcohol, Title VI, and more.  If you'd like to submit your own agency's policies for inclusion on this page, please contact us at info@nationalrtap.org.
Updated RTAP ProgramsTopic Guide

National RTAP updated our  RTAP Programs Topic Guide  in February 2018. Here RTAP Managers will find a slew of helpful resources from National RTAP and our partners to assist them with management, outreach, funding and training their users.  From our recently updated Technical Brief Getting Started: Creating a Vision and Strategy for Community Transit to Managing a State RTAP Program: Secrets of Success, we've included tools to help answer the most commonly asked questions about RTAP programs.
FTA and US DOT Updates

Watch FTA's  TAM Website Demonstration Video: A TAM website demonstration video to help you navigate the wealth of resources available on the FTA TAM website.  FTA will also hold a TAM Webinar on Major Capital Replacements on  March 28,  2-3 PM ET

Read FTA's February 2018  Transit Safety and Oversight Spotlight  newsletter with information about State Safety Oversight Agencies certifications and upcoming FTA safety training.

US DOT is holding an Energy-Efficient Adaptive Cruise Control for Electric Connected and Autonomous Vehicles  Webinar on  March 8 from 1-2 PM ET.  The webinar proposes an Energy-Efficient Electric Driving Model for electric, connected, and autonomous vehicles.

FTA has published FY 2019 Budget Estimates. $659 million is requested for rural and tribal areas to support planning, capital needs and transit operations.
Resources and News

Webinars

The Transportation Research Board will conduct a free  webinar on Monday, March 12 from 1:00-3:00 PM ET that features research from the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP)'s Web-Only Document 70: Improving the Resilience of Transit Systems Threatened by Natural Disasters.

The National Center for Rural Road Safety is hosting a webinar on March 20 from 1:00-2:30 PM ET. Creating a Regional Transportation Planning Organization to Help on the Road to Zero, featuring case studies from successful RTPOs and FHWA fact sheets. 

Publications

The NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis report Exploring Strategies to Improve Health and Equity in Rural Communities  found that transit can supply critical services to community life and equity.  

TCRP's Knowledge Management Resource to Support Strategic Workforce Development for Transit Agencies explores the process for collecting, storing, and sharing organizational information and knowledge, and provides guidance on implementing these strategies in transit agencies. There will be a webinar about this resource on March 27 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET.

FHWA's Integrating Shared Mobility into Multimodal Transportation Planning provides a framework and examples to assist transportation agencies, planning organizations, governments, transit agencies, and states, in anticipating and planning for shared mobility as part of a higher-performing regional multimodal transportation system.

Legislation

No Human Trafficking on Our Roads Act, H.R.3814 was introduced in Congress. This bill would direct the US DOT to disqualify from operating a commercial motor vehicle for life any individual who uses such a vehicle in committing a felony involving a severe form of human trafficking.

Did you know that the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) has a Transportation Funding and Finance Legislation Database?  Users can search by bill status, state or topic.

Opportunities

The Shared Use Mobility Center (SUMC)  seeks proposals from public transportation providers to receive technical assistance to develop mobility-on-demand projects. The On-Ramp program, in partnership with FTA, provides opportunities for transit providers to expand on-demand mobility and receive expert assistance to develop business plans and strategies. Selected participants will engage in a year-long process that could involve supported engagement, peer mentoring, research, and other activities.

The 23rd National Conference on Rural and Intercity Bus (RIBTC) is scheduled for September 30-October 3, 2018 in Breckenridge, Colorado. Student participation is being encouraged by offering students the opportunity to take part in a research paper competition. Two essay winners will receive cash prizes as well as travel funds to attend the conference.  Access guideline forms for undergraduate students and graduate students. 
How are Local Agencies Using GTFS Builder?

National RTAP posted a new document about GTFS Builder local agency user experiences. Read about how Mary Gaston of St. Joseph Transit; Michael Lachman of HAPCAP/Athens Transit; and Jaime McKay, formerly of Maryland's Center for Mobility Equity, have used the tool to improve their transit systems and user experience. The document also includes sample trip plans for each agency.  GTFS Builder is National RTAP's free tool to help you create GTFS files to post on trip planning sites like Google Transit.
March 18 is Transit Driver Appreciation Day

While every day is an important day to recognize the hard work, skill and dedication of our nation's transit operators, March 8 is a special day on Social Media to recognize their contributions by using the hashtag #tdad on Transit Driver Appreciation Day.  TDAD is officially Sunday, March 18, but it's also being celebrated on March 16.  If you follow National RTAP on Facebook and/or Twitter @nat_rtap, tune in on March 16 and join our #tdad conversation.
National RTAP's Resource Selections from the America Walks Safe Walks Twitter Chat

National RTAP participated in an engaging and inspiring Twitter Chat on #safewalks hosted by @americawalks on February 20.  We were introduced to a host of resources on livability and walkability from many organizations, including:
Upcoming National RTAP Q&A Webinar on our 2019 Technical Assistance Conference Local Host RFP
 
We will be holding a Q&A Webinar on April 2, 2018, 2:00 PM ET to answer questions about the 2019 National RTAP Technical Assistance Conference Local Host Request for Proposals. The target audience for these webinars is State DOT Staff and State and Regional Transit Associations.  If you'd like to have a copy of the RFP, please contact  conference@nationalrtap.org .
Look for us at these upcoming conferences!
  • CalACT Spring Conference, Newport Beach, CA, April 3-6  
  • Ohio Public Transit Association Annual Conference, Columbus, April 9-11
  • MassDOT Innovation & Mobility Exchange, Worcester, April 10-11
  • Connecticut RTAP Spring Conference, Newington, April 25
  • Michigan Rural Transportation Managers Workshop, Mount Pleasant, April 25-26
  • Montana Transit Association Spring Conference, Bozeman, May 21-25
  • Virginia Transit Conference, Richmond, May 22-23
  • CTAA EXPO, Pittsburgh, June 10-14
March 8, 2018
Events
National RTAP
Website Builder - Start to Finish
February 6-March 15
Tuesdays and Thursdays,  2:00 PM

US DOT
Energy-Efficient Adaptive Cruise Control for Electric Connected and Autonomous Vehicles
March 8, 1-2 PM

NCMM
Mobility as a Service (MaaS): Concept and Practice
March 8, 2 PM

TRB
Improving the Resilience of Transit Systems Threatened by Natural Disasters
March 12, 1-3 PM

SUMC
2018 National Shared Mobility Summit
Chicago, IL
March 12-14

AASHTO
AASHTO Re:source Technical Exchange
San Diego, CA
March 12-15

ESPA
Travel Training Assessments: Determining Student Competency
March 14, 2:00-3:30 PM

NTI
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise
Seattle, WA
March 13-14

NTI
Quality Assurance and Quality Control
Seattle, WA
March 13-14

NTI
Using the Transit Economic Requirements Model (TERM Lite)
Orlando, FL
March 13-14

MTAP
2018 TAM Workshop/Webinar
March 14, 2-4 PM

TRB
Modeling the Relationship Between Vehicle Speed and Fuel Consumption
March 14, 2:00-3:30 PM

NTI
Procurement for Small & Medium Transit Systems
Johnson City, TN
March 14-15

AASHTO
GIS for Transportation Symposium
March 19-22
Little Rock, AR

NTI
Procurement II: Risk Assessment & Basic Cost or Price Analysis
Atlanta, GA
March 19-23

National Center for Rural Road Safety
Creating a Regional Transportation Planning Organization to Help on the Road to Zero
March 20, 1:00-2:30 PM

FTA
TAM Webinar: Major Capital Replacements
March 28, 2:00-3:00 PM

National RTAP
2019 Conference Local Host RFP Q&A Part 2
April 2, 2:00 PM 

CalACT
Spring Conference and Expo
Newport Beach, CA
April 3-6

NTI
Project Management for Transit Professionals  
April 4-5
Houston, TX
Training

AzTA/ADOT
Statewide Transit Conference
Tucson, AZ
April 8-10

OPTA
Ohio Needs Transit Conference
April 9-11
Columbus, OH

NTI
Implementing Rural Transit Technology 
April 19-20
Denver, CO

Connecticut RTAP
Spring Conference
Newington, CT
April 25
Contact: Michele Brooks

VTA
Virginia Transit Conference
Richmond, VA
May 22-23
 
CTAA 
Expo 2018
Pittsburgh, PA
June 10-14

RIBTC
National Conference on Rural Public & Intercity Bus Transportation
Sept 30-Oct 3
Breckenridge, CO
Conference

For a listing of all National RTAP and other national events, view our  Calendar . To submit an event, email 
 info@nationalrtap.org.

All event times listed as Eastern Time
Resource Spotlight
Risk Management Resource Handbook

National RTAP's Risk Management for Rural Transit Managers Resource Handbook defines risk management, provides examples of effective activities, and describes the process of developing a risk management program. We've recently updated the cover and added current bibliographical resources.
National RTAP is a program of the Federal Transit Administration dedicated to creating rural and Tribal transit solutions through technical assistance, partner collaboration and FREE training materials.

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Main:  5 Wheeling Avenue, Woburn, MA 01801, 888-589-6821
Washington, D.C.:  718 7th Street NW , Washington, DC 20001