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eNews - August 9, 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.
We've added an appendix to our Resource Catalog , where we list the top (up to 15) National RTAP resources that apply to the major roles found in rural transit agencies. These lists could be considered recommended resources for new hires in the certain roles. We tried to identify the main audiences for each resource, and can also generate full lists upon request . See the Roles Key on page 9 for the different transit job titles included in each role.
If your organization provides a hotline service, you may receive inquiries from the public about how they can travel from Point A to Point B. Sometimes helping them is straightforward. However, some rural regions do not have transportation to all areas that people need to travel. Also, individuals may have special needs or need extra help.  Assisting People with Finding Transportation is a new web page in our Find Anything Toolkit that helps agencies assist people with identifying transportation options.
Person in rural area
Resources and Events
New National RTAP Rural Transit Manager's Forum

National RTAP just launched the Rural Transit Manager's Forum on Facebook - a private group for rural and tribal transit managers to post questions about transit management and share ideas and best practices. If you are a transit manager who would like to participate, visit the forum and request to join.

Enter Your Site in National RTAP's Website Contest

Submit your transit agency's outstanding website to the 2018 National RTAP Website Contest for a chance to win cash prizes! Find out more about the contest and enter your site by August 31, 2018.

Donna Griggs Delivering RIBTC Keynote

The RIBTC Committee for the 23rd National Conference on Rural Public and Intercity Bus Transportation (RIBTC) announced the Monday keynote presentation. Donna Griggs, a leader in performance improvement and change management, founded a consulting firm that delivered performance improvement/change management to many large scale applications and organizations. 

National RTAP Vehicle Specs 101 Webinar Recording Available

National RTAP hosted a webinar on July 26 on vehicle specifications, procurement, and safety, focusing on Florida's Transit, Research, Inspection, and Procurement Services (TRIPS) Program. The recording is available here and you can also download the presentation .

National RTAP Peer Call: TAM for Tribes

National RTAP facilitated a peer discussion on August 1 about TAM for Tribes to collect information from Tribal transit agencies about their approach to transit asset management (TAM) and how they plan meet the basic requirements of the TAM rule. Visit our Peer Calls page and click the Download Notes button to view the notes from the call (they will download as a zip file).

U.S. DOT and FTA Updates

On July 16, 2018, FTA published its FY 2018 Apportionments Notice . The notice details $13.4 billion in formula and competitive funding to FTA’s public transportation grant recipients through September 30, 2018. The Notice also describes cancellation of circulars, including 9045.1 and 9050.1 (New Freedom Program and the Job Access and Reverse Commute Program).

On July 24, 2018, FTA published a web page outlining their state of available funds, with links to open notices of funding opportunities and recently awarded grants.

The July FTA Transit Safety and Oversight Spotlight Newsletter is available . The issue contains information about FTA's two new safety rules and a link to "A New Era in Transit Safety" video.

Webinars and Training
 
Easter Seals Project Action Consulting has a number of upcoming webinars, including:
  • Succession Planning, 8/15/18
  • ADA Complimentary Public Transit: Responding to Emergencies, 9/12/18
Access their upcoming, prerecorded and archived webinars here .

Publications

TCRP's Research Report 199: Guide to Overcoming Barriers to Implementing Best and Innovative Training provides public transit agencies with best practices, strategies, and resources to implement effective and innovative training for front-line employees. National RTAP Executive Director Robin Phillips was interviewed as part of the research for this report.

Utah DOT's Impact of Bus Stop Improvements compares ridership and paratransit demand before and after bus stop improvements. The analysis shows that the improved bus stops are associated with a statistically significant increase in overall ridership and a decrease in paratransit demand. 

Depaul University has published Driving Demand: 2018 Outlook for the Intercity Bus Industry in the United States. The report tracks trends and provides information on notable new intercity bus routes.

Legislation

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018 was passed on March 23, 2018 and provides $5 million for the operation and maintenance of the bus testing facility authorized under 49 U.S.C. 5318 . This is a $2 million increase over previous annual appropriation amounts. The Act includes funds allocated for facilities to conduct the testing of low or no emission vehicle new bus models.

Opportunities

You may be able to help the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) with an important project for FTA if your agency has collected crash data for cutaway (body-on-chassis) buses under 30 feet during the past 10 years. To participate, send your data to Jodi Godfrey . The data will be de-identified and the final project will fill a large gap in transit safety knowledge and research.

NTI is accepting nominations for the 2018 Achievements in Transit Training Awards. Employees of U.S. public transit agencies, DOTs, or not-for-profit transit organizations are eligible. Nominations will be accepted through September 14, 2018.

National RTAP eLearning Technical Brief Updated

National RTAP has made minor updates to our eLearning Technical Brief , which provides an overview of the National RT AP eLearning portal. Additions include a link to NCMM's eLearning page and the courses available on National RTAP eLearning .
National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC)
Meeting and Exceeding Mobility User Expectations with Real-Time Transit Information
August 9, 1:00-2:00 PM

TRB
Public Transit Emergency Preparedness Against Ebola and Other Infectious Diseases: Legal Issues
August 14, 2:00-3:30 PM

ESPA
Succession Planning
August 15, 2:00-3:30 PM

APTA/CTAA/AASHTO
State Public Transportation Partnership Conference
Minneapolis, MN
August 15-17  

FTA
Public Transportation Safety Certification Training Program Final Rule Webinar
August 16, 2:00-3:00 PM

TRB
Tools of the Trade Transportation Planning Conference
Kansas City, MO
August 22-24

Governors Highway Safety Association 
Joining Forces to Get to Zero: Partnerships in Traffic Safety 
Atlanta, GA
August 25-29

Mid America Association of State Transportation Officials
MAASTO 2018 Annual Meeting
Traverse City, MI 
August 27-29  

NTI
Introduction to Transit Service Planning
New York, NY
August 27-29

FTA
Safety Rules Webinar for Bus-only Agencies
August 28, 2:00 PM
 
NTI
Project Management for Transit Professionals
St. Petersburg, FL 
August 28-29

FTA
Safety Rules Webinar for State DOTs
August 29, 2:00 PM

TRB
Hacks and Attacks: Keeping Critical Transportation Infrastructure Resilient
August 30, 2:00-3:30 PM

Center for Transportation & the Environment (CTE)
Zero Emissions Bus Conference
Los Angeles, CA 
September 10-11

ESPA
Taking ADA Complementary Paratransit Service to the Next Level
September 10-October 19

Q 'Straint
Wheelchair Securement Training
September 11, 12:00-1:15 PM

NTI
Performance Based Planning and Programming
Atlanta, GA 
September 11-12

ESPA
ADA Complementary Paratransit: Responding to Emergencies
September 12, 2:00-3:30 PM

FTA
Safety Rules Webinar for State DOTs
September 12, 2 PM

NHDOT
Tri-State Transit Conference
North Conway, NH
September 12-14

CUTR
The Role of Public Transportation During a State of Emergency Declaration Due to Natural Disasters
September 13, 12:00-1:00 PM

NITC
Transportation and Communities 
Portland, OR
September 13-14

NTI
Project Management for Transit Professionals
Phoenix, AZ, September 13-14

NTICC
National Transportation in Indian Country Conference
Duluth, MN
September 17-20

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

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

Oklahoma Transit Association
Oklahoma State Driving Championships & Training Conference
Norman, OK
October 16-19

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
Look for Us at these Upcoming Conferences
  • State Public Transportation Partnership Conference, Minneapolis, MN, Aug. 15-17 
  • TRB National Tools of the Trade Conference on Transportation Planning for Small and Medium Sized Communities, Kansas City, MO, Aug. 22-24
  • Tri-State Transit Conference, North Conway, NH, Sep. 12-14
  • National Transportation in Indian Country Conference, Duluth, MN, Sep. 17-20
  • Rural Public and Intercity Bus Transportation Conference, Breckenridge, CO, Sep. 30-Oct. 3
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