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eNews - September 20, 2018
National RTAP is a program of the Federal Transit Administration dedicated to creating rural and tribal transit solutions through free training materials, technical assistance, and partner collaboration.
N ational RTAP Website Contest Winners Announced
Congratulations to the winners of our 2018 Website Contest! This year we asked for great rural transit websites and we got 20 fantastic submissions. The first place winners for the three agency size categories are:

0-5 Revenue Vehicles: Carrot Express , Village of Milan, NM

6-15 Revenue Vehicles: Northwest Connector (Tillamook County Transportation District), Tillamook, OR

16+ Revenue Vehicles: Bay Town Trolley (Bay County Transportation Planning Organization), Panama City, FL

See our website for the runners-up and the websites deserving honorable mention, as well as information about the contest. Thanks to all who participated! Don't have a website? Having some presence online is critical these days. Learn how to create a website, from very simple to complex, using National RTAP's free Website Builder tool.
National RTAP's Price Analysis spreadsheet can be used during a procurement to annotate findings of fair and reasonable pricing, including for regulated prices (such as utilities) or comparisons with recent prices for similar goods and services. A price analysis, rather than a cost analysis, should be conducted in competitive procurement situations and in situations where the items being procured are sold in the commercial marketplace to the general public.
Image of people signing contract
Resources and Events
Tune in Today to Workshop on Opioids Misuse: Increasing Access to Transportation in Rural Communities

USDA, FTA, and National RTAP are hosting a workshop on increasing access to transportation in rural communities affected by opioid misuse TODAY, September 20, 9:30 AM-1:00 PM. Tune into the live stream workshop to hear about this key challenge in rural communities and potential solutions.

Best Practices Webinar - Coordination Between State DOT and Transit Agencies in Asset Management and Capital Planning

Register for a National RTAP webinar on September 27 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET that will focus on coordination in asset management and capital planning between state DOTs and rural transit agencies. PennDOT's Bureau of Public Transportation (BPT) and the Crawford Area Transportation Authority (CATA) will serve as case studies.   

There's Still Time to Register for RIBTC

The National Conference on Rural Public & Intercity Bus Transportation: "Changing Lives, Strengthening Communities" will be in Breckenridge, CO from September 30-October 3. The agenda includes pre-conference training sessions, a national perspectives plenary section, an FTA Mini State Programs Meeting, and more. Register at www.ribtc.org .


U.S. DOT and FTA Updates

FTA requires public transportation agencies to have a finalized Transit Asset Management (TAM) plan in place by October 1, 2018. After that date, completing certifications and assurances will include certifying compliance with the TAM rule. Compliance will also be reviewed at Triennial or State Management Reviews, beginning with federal fiscal year 2019. For more information, visit FTA's TAM website .

FTA announced the availability of $6.3 million to improve access to public transportation through partnerships among health, transportation and other service providers. The Access and Mobility Partnership Grants include two competitive grant programs : the Innovative Coordinated Access and Mobility (ICAM) Pilot Program and the Human Services Coordination Research (HSCR) grants. The deadline to submit proposals is November 13, 2018.

The U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Services (BTS) recently published an issue brief on Travel Patterns of American Adults with Disabilities . The study found that adults age 18-64 with disabilities use local transit for a higher share of trips than those without disabilities.

The FTA Pilot Program for Expedited Project Delivery was posted in the Federal Register on September 12, 2018. The program will expedite delivery of new fixed guideway capital, small starts or core capacity improvement projects utilizing public-private partnerships. Public transportation providers may send expressions of interest by November 13, 2018.

Webinars and Training

The National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM) and Shared Use Mobility Center (SUMC) are hosting a webinar on Accessibility for All: Considerations for Including People with Disabilities in Shared Mobility Strategies on September 20, 3:00-4:15 PM ET. Attendees will hear about agency planning and innovative mobility strategies.

A TRB webinar will be held on September 27 from 2:00-3:30 PM ET about Practices in Rural Regional Mobility: Case Studies and Lessons Learned. The case studies illustrate a variety of organizational models, markets and funding strategies and will help identify rural regional mobility needs for developing services in response to those needs.  

Publications

TCRP's Public Transit and Bikesharing explores cooperative transit and bikesharing relationships and documents experiences of transit systems with bikesharing as a mode. The synthesis identifies the current state of the practice, including challenges, lessons learned, and gaps in information. 

National Center for Transit Research (NCTR)'s Innovative Approach to Estimating Demand for Intercity Bus Services in a Rural Environment developed an intercity mode choice model that can be incorporated into a statewide travel demand model to estimate demand for rural intercity bus services. 

Victoria Transport Policy Institute's Local Funding Options for Public Transportation evaluates local funding options, including fare increases, taxes and advertising, to help finance public transit or other transportation projects and services.

APTA's Public Transit Leading in Transition to Clean Technology chronicles data showing the shift toward alternative fuel use in transit.

Welcome to our New National RTAP Review Board Member

National RTAP extends a warm welcome to our newest Review Board member, Juanita Risch, RTAP Manager and Grants/Contracts Office at the Idaho Transportation Department. Our Review Board helps guide and inform the development of our products and services. Our next Board meeting will be in October 2018 in Denver, CO.
USDA/FTA/National RTAP
Opioids Misuse: Increasing Access to Transportation In Rural Communities
September 20, 9:30 AM-1:00 PM

NCMM/SUMC
Accessibility for All: Considerations for Including People with Disabilities in Shared Mobility Strategies
September 20, 3:00-4:15 PM 

AASHTO
AASHTO Annual Meeting
Atlanta, GA, September 20-24

TTAP
Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian
Spokane, WA, September 21

APTA
APTA Annual Conference
Nashville, TN, September 23-26

FHWA/TTAP
National Tribal Transportation Conference (NTTC)
Oklahoma City, O K, September 24-27

NTI
Disadvantaged Business Enterprise
Newark, NJ, September 25-27
 
TRB
Managing Roadways and Transit Together to Move People into a New Age of Technology
Bellevue, WA, September 25-27

America Walks
Connecting and Allying with the Disability Rights Movement
September 26, 2:00-3:00 PM

NTI
Transportation Planning Process Richmond, VA, September 26-27

NTI
Quality Assurance and Quality Control in Transit
Fresno, CA, September 26-27

National RTAP
Best Practices - Coordination Between State DOT and Transit Agencies in Asset Management and Capital Planning
September 27, 2:00-3:00 PM

TRB
Practices in Rural Regional Mobility: Case Studies and Lessons Learned
September 27, 2:00-3:30 PM ET

RIBTC
National Conference on Rural Public & Intercity Bus Transportation
Breckenridge, CO, September 30-October 3
 
Sustainable City Network
Growing Sustainable Communities Conference
Dubuque, Iowa, October 2-3

METRO/LCT
BusCon
Indianapolis, IN, October 2-3

NTI
Just How Important are Service Design Models to ADA Paratransit?
October 4, 2:00-3:30 PM

ESPA Consulting
Travel Training Data Collection Standards
October 10, 2:00-3:30 PM

FTPA/CTD
Annual Florida Public Transportation Conference & Expo
Daytona Beach, FL, October 14-17

TRB
Successful Mobility Management Practices in Small Urban and Rural Areas
October 15, 2:00-3:30 PM ET

Connecticut Association for Community Transpor tation
Conference and Expo
Newington, CT, October 15

NTI
Procurement for Small and Medium Transit Systems
Salina, KS, October 15-16

TSI
Transit Bus System Safety
Chicago, IL, October 15-19

Oklahoma Transit Association/Creative Bus Sales
2018 Oklahoma State Driving Championships & Training Conference
Norman, OK, October 16-19

ESPA Consulting
Frequently Asked Questions on Transportation and the ADA
October 24, 2:00-3:30 PM

Oreg on Transit Association
Oregon Public Transportation Annual Conference
Bend, OR, October 28-31

Louisiana Transportation Research Center
Louisiana Transportation Conference
New Orleans, LA, October 31-November 2

For a list ing 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
Look for Us at these Upcoming Conferences
  • National Transportation in Indian Country Conference, Duluth, MN, Sep. 17-20
  • Rural & Intercity Bus Transportation Conference, Breckenridge, CO, Sep. 30-Oct. 3
  • FTPA/CTD Annual Florida Public Transportation Conference & Expo, Daytona Beach, FL, Oct. 14-17
  • Connecticut Association for Community Transportation Conference and Expo, Newington, CT, Oct. 15
  • Oklahoma State Driving Championships & Training Conference, Norman, OK, Oct. 16-19
  • Oregon Public Transportation Conference, Bend, OR, Oct. 28-31
  • Louisiana Transportation Conference, New Orleans, LA, Oct. 31-Nov. 2
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