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Winners of the National RTAP Marketing Contest

Instead of our Annual Photo Contest, this year we asked for your brochures and passenger guides. We got 18 submissions and are excited to announce the winners! 
  1. 1st Place: Benzie Bus, Beulah, MI, submitted by Jessica Carland, Mobility Manager
  2. 2nd Place: Stagecoach Transportation Services, Inc., Middlebury, VT, submitted by Jim Moulton, Executive Director
  3. 3rd Place: OATS, Inc., Columbia, MO, submitted by Jill Stedem, Administrative Services Director
  4. Honorable Mention: HIRTA Public Transit, Urbandale, IA, submitted by Julia Castillo, Executive Director 
Read more about the contest and winning entries or view all the entries. Congratulations to our winners!

National RTAP recently released training videos from Q'Straint and BraunAbility that provide an overview of the range of wheelchair securement equipment currently available and a comprehensive review of the proper way to secure passengers with special needs and wheelchairs.  Topics include:
  • Liability
  • Best Practices
  • Pre-Trip Inspection 
  • Basic Maintenance
  • Sensitivity Training
Sign into National RTAP  eLearning to view the training videos.
National RTAP Grant Writing Webinar

Register now for a  Grant Writing 101 Webinar on Wednesday, August 30 at 2:00-3:30 PM ET, which will provide guidance and best practices for writing grant applications, especially for FTA programs.

Presenters include National RTAP Review Board members Kari Banta, RTAP and 5310 Program Manager, Texas DOT, and Katharine Mitchell, Senior Transportation Planner, Regional Transportation Authority of Pima County, AZ.

Learn how to improve your narrative and tell your story in a way that funders understand will meet their program goals.
2017 National RTAP Conference Early Bird Deadline and Student Poster Session

Register  for the 2017 National RTAP Technical Assistance Conference: Transportation at the Center in Omaha, Nebraska, October 29 to November 1!  The early bird rate ends September 8.  
View the detailed draft Conference Agenda and register today!

We're planning a student poster session at the conference on October 31.  If you work with colleges or universities, please spread the word about this fantastic opportunity.This is a great chance to connect students to the industry and foster community engagement and development. Want to find out more? Contact us at info@nationalrtap.org. 
FTA and U.S. DOT Updates

FTA has placed a notice of availability of the final National Public Transportation Safety Plan in the Federal Register and posted it on its website. The plan establishes performance measures to improve the safety of public transportation systems that receive federal financial assistance. Transit agencies will set performance targets based on those measures to monitor and assess the safety performance of their public transportation systems.
 
FTA is seeking volunteers to participate in a safety review as part of their Bus Safety Program. The no cost reviews take one to four days and include a preliminary assessment of a transit agency's readiness to implement Safety Management System processes and practices. Transit agencies interested in participating are encouraged to submit a statement of interest by August 31, 2017.

FTA recently updated its Award Management Requirements Circular (FTA Circular 5010.1E), effective July 21, 2017. View a Summary of Page Changes on FTA's website.  Webinars are planned for FTA fund recipients and stakeholders on August 31 and September 14, 2017. 
Resources and News

Training

The National Transit Institute (NTI) is hosting an Implementing Rural Transit Technology Course, free for state and local transit agencies,  September 26-27 in  Richmond, VA. Rural transit providers are often interested in how technology can help increase operating efficiency and improve safety. However, the process for planning and implementing appropriate technology-based applications can be challenging. This course presents a structured approach to help ensure that agency needs and expectations are met.

Below are additional upcoming courses. See the  NTI Website for details and the full calendar: 
  • Transit Asset Management Implementation for Tier II Providers and Sponsors -  Atlanta, GA,  September 14
  • Onboard Camera Applications for Buses - Webinar, September 14
  • Transit Maintenance Leadership Workshop - New Orleans, LA, December 4-8 
Opportunities

Your agency can participate in a survey conducted by ETA Transit. The survey is about public transit agency customer service and results will be shared the results in mid-December.

Publications

TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program has published Applying Risk Analysis, Value Engineering, and Other Innovative Solutions for Project Delivery. The report provides an overview of value engineering, a systematic process that combines creative and analytical techniques to achieve a common understanding of project requirements. 

FHWA recently released the Transportation Alternatives (TA) Annual Report. Examples include pedestrian and bicycle facilities, infrastructure projects for enhancing mobility, and community improvement activities including historic preservation and vegetation management. 
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Like our National RTAP Facebook page and stay up-to-date on all our resources and opportunities between editions of eNews. We recently some posted behind-the-scene photos of our video shoot for our forthcoming Problem Passengers, Challenging Situations training update.  Check it out!
Look for us at these upcoming conferences!
August 24, 2017
Events
FTA
2017 TAM Roundtable
August 28-29
Cambridge, MA
Meeting

National RTAP
Grant Writing 101
August 30
2:00-3:30 PM

NTI 
Ridership Forecasting with STOPS for Transit Project Planning
September 6-8
Philadelphia, PA
Training

NTI
Transit Ridership Forecasting Course
September 6-8
Philadelphia, PA

CAIT
Roadside Safety Features
September 6
8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Piscataway, NJ

TRB, NCTR & URISA
GIS in Transit Conference
September 6-8
Washington, DC

FleetPros 
Fleetcon 2017
Provo, UT
September 11-13

Transit and TNC Partnerships, an Alternative Approach
September 13
3:00 - 4:00 PM EDT 
Webinar

ME, NH & VT
Tri-State Transit Conference
September 13-15
Freeport, ME

FHWA 
Roadway Safety Data and Analysis Toolbox - Finding the Right Tool for the Job
September 14
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM

NTI
Onboard Camera Applications for Buses
September 14
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM ET

US DOT Volpe Center
Transforming Transportation Speaker Series
September 15

NTTC
20th Annual National Tribal Transportation Conference
Tucson, AZ
September 25-29

National RTAP 
2017 Technical Assistance Conference
Omaha, NE
Oct 29-Nov 1,  2017
Early Bird: Sept 8

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
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.

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