eNews - December 8, 2022
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.

Newsletter Highlights
New Best Practices Spotlight Article on Electric Vehicle Maintenance
Upcoming National RTAP Transit Manager Peer Roundtable
National RTAP Awarded Website and Social Media Honors
New FTA Resources on the 2020 Census Changes
New Best Practices Spotlight Article on Electric Vehicle Maintenance

A Best Practices Spotlight Article prepared collaboratively by National RTAP, Shared-Use Mobility Center (SUMC), and Transit Workforce Center (TWC) focuses on Electric Vehicle Maintenance. It includes case studies on Fresno County Rural Transit Agency (FCRTA), Mountain Rides Transportation Authority, and SporTran. The article also discusses challenges and solutions, and recommends practices that transit agencies can implement.

Thank you to National RTAP Review Board member Shauna Miller, RTAP Program Manager, Idaho Transportation Department, for the review of this article.
Upcoming National RTAP Transit Manager Peer Roundtable and Summary of September Roundtable Posted

Please join us for a Transit Manager Peer Roundtable for an informal discussion of issues of interest to managers at rural and tribal transit agencies (e.g., transit managers, executive directors, operations managers, CEOs, and mobility managers). The roundtable will be facilitated by National RTAP staff and Review Board members.

Potential topics include:
  1. Outreach strategies to underrepresented groups
  2. Questions or experience with electric vehicles or alternative fuels
  3. Adapting to increases or decreases in service demand
  4. Dealing with vehicle procurement challenges and delays
  5. Partnering with or receiving funding from hospitals, local employers, etc.
  6. Volunteer driver program issues and successful strategies
  7. Preparing for or responding to extreme weather events

Let us know in registration which topics are of interest to you, or you can suggest a new topic. We hope to see you then!

We have also published the summary of our September 27, 2022 Transit Manager Peer Roundtable, which discussed issues surrounding driver shortages, software procurement, catalytic converter thefts, advocacy, and coordination.
Register for National RTAP Winter Meetings

National RTAP, AASHTO MTAP, and NADTC are hosting a Risky Business II: Insurance for Nonprofits and Small Transit Agencies webinar on December 14, 2022 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET. This webinar will provide nonprofit organizations that offer transportation and small public transit agencies with information and tips about insuring their assets.

Our next State RTAP Manager Peer Roundtable will be held on January 9, 2023 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET. State RTAP Managers need to register for this informal discussion (please note that there are separate roundtables for transit managers - this one is just for State RTAP Managers). Topics to be discussed include state initiatives to combat human trafficking, property-related projects, and electric vehicle sharing.

Join us on January 24, 2023 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET for an #OurBusStopsHere Twitter Chat to discuss issues, strategies, and promising practices for bus stop and route planning. The chat will be moderated by National RTAP staff and Review Board Members Paula Smith, Executive Director, Tri River Transit, and Jonnie Kusek, Chief Operations Officer, Panhandle Transit Services. The chat will also feature all photos from our 2022 Photo Contest - The Bus Stops Here. Email us at [email protected] if you would like to RSVP.

The Books in Transit Discussion Group selected Riding the Bus with my Sister by Rachel Simon. The book takes place in rural Pennsylvania and is about someone with an intellectual disability who spends her days riding buses. Register for February 16, 2023 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET. The author plans to join us!

Learn about TACL: The Transportation Technical Assistance Coordination Library on February 28, 2023 from 2:00-3:00 PM ET. TACL helps rural and tribal transit agencies access information about public transportation coordination, coordinate among federally funded transit programs, and share resources across agencies to improve transit in their communities.

On March 9, 2023, 2:00-3:00 PM ET, learn how to use Resource Share, the National RTAP portal for free, high-quality technical assistance and training materials for rural and Tribal transit systems. Resource Share features National RTAP-developed resources and linked access to relevant resources developed by other organizations.
National RTAP Participation in Upcoming Conferences and Meetings

We're presenting and exhibiting at the following conferences and meetings:

Save the Date - National RTAP 5th Technical Assistance Conference

Save the date for our 5th Rural and Tribal Transit Technical Assistance Conference: Navigating the Tides of Change, which will take place on December 3-6, 2023 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We'll share more information when it's available!

National Transportation Knowledge Network Blog Post on Mentoring

The National Transportation Knowledge Network (NTKN) published a blog post by National RTAP Knowledge and Resource Manager Cara Marcus on Mentoring the Next Generation of Knowledge Managers. The article discusses transportation and library professional mentoring programs and introduces a new mentoring program for transportation librarians. Cara recently became President-Elect of the Special Libraries Association Transportation Division.

National RTAP Featured in the Maryland Transit Update

The Maryland Transit Update Fall 2022 newsletter contains an article on See What's New at National RTAP. Many of our resources are also featured in the newsletter's Transit Bookshelf and Toolbox. The newsletter is published by KFH Group under contract to Maryland DOT Maryland Transit Administration in partnership with the Transportation Association of Maryland (TAM).

National RTAP Awarded Website and Social Media Honors

Thegoodstate awarded National RTAP a Top Website of 2022 badge, which is shown at the bottom of our Connect with Us page. The National RTAP Facebook Administrator also was awarded the Top Contributor Badge for the Rural Transit Manager's Forum.
U.S. DOT and FTA Updates
The FTA Census page contains new resources, including:
  • FAQs – questions and answers regarding the 2020 Census and its implications for FTA recipients
  • FTA Program Requirement Impacts of 2020 Census Changes – describes scenarios for FTA recipients whose population changes result in updated program requirements
  • FTA Formula Factors Table – Describes factors affecting FTA funding under various formula programs

In Federal Transit Administration Guidance Clarification: Coordination with Human Services Organizations and National Transit Database Reporting, FTA provides guidance to reduce overlap between the 130 federal programs across 9 agencies that may fund human services transportation and incentivize collaboration by clarifying eligible reporting into the National Transit Database (NTD). This guidance addresses the following topics as they relate to NTD reporting: definition of public transportation, paratransit, charter service, incidental use of transit assets, and trip brokering.

The FTA Standards Development Program published two reports on transportation and healthcare topics: Over-the-Counter and Prescription Drug Use in the Public Transit Industry Final Report and Medical Fitness for Duty and Fatigue Risk Management. The first report addresses voluntary standards, protocols, guidelines, and recommended practices related to prescription and over-the-counter medication risk management and associated topics and the second report addresses those related to workers, scheduling, medical examination certificates, testing for sleep disorders, and training.

FTA issued Safety Advisory 22-4, Suicide Prevention Signage on Public Transit, to recommend that transit agencies apply best practices for reducing suicide attempts to their suicide prevention signage and messaging campaigns and advise transit agencies to assess suicide event data to monitor the impact of signage effects. FTA encourages transit agencies to display the national Suicide & Crisis Lifeline phone number (988) and the local crisis center or the local public transit helpline phone number on signage.

As part of the second Tribal Nations Summit, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced actions to build on U.S. DOT’s ongoing work to deliver infrastructure funding to Indian Country. Announcements included reestablishing regional 6 Tribal Technical Assistance Program (TTAP) agreements, an Electric Vehicle (EV) Initiative for Tribal Nations, and planning the first Tribal Transit Symposium for 2023.
Webinars and Training
The Transportation Research Board (TRB) has a number of upcoming training events, including its Annual Meeting on January 8-12, 2023. Upcoming TRB webinars include Expanding Microtransit Services and Improving the Rider Experience, Trends in Transit Ridership—Analysis, Causes, and Responses, and Measuring and Managing Fare Evasion.

Making Connections 2022: The National Transit Workforce Conference is the first conference hosted by the new FTA TA Center, the Transit Workforce Center (TWC). The conference will take place in Washington, D.C. on December 13-14, 2022. National RTAP staff are presenting and exhibiting.

National Transit Institute (NTI) offers an Environmental and Sustainability Management Systems (ESMS) Self-Paced Introductory Online Course. This course is designed to help learners understand the basic requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act, known as NEPA, and FTA's environmental review procedures.
Publications
The University of Iowa's Rural Health Value's Catalog of Value-Based Initiatives for Rural Providers summarizes rural-relevant, value-based programs implemented by the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation. Projects include the Emergency Triage, Treat, and Transport and the Accountable Health Communities Model.

FHWA's Active Transportation Funding and Finance Toolkit provides a broad overview and tangible examples of a wide range of strategies. Projects may use separate sources of funding for capital improvements, operations, and maintenance on a given project. Contents include funding and financing strategies, partnerships, case studies, peer exchange, and implementation considerations.

The FTA Section 5310 Compendium is a National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC) informational brief that explains how Area Agencies on Aging provide a wide range of services and support to older adults in the United States, and therefore play an important role in the development, oversight, and funding of transportation services in the communities they serve.

TCRP's Measuring and Managing Fare Evasion explores in detail the recent past and emerging future of fare enforcement on transit systems. A new focus on fare compliance is an outcome of transit agencies partnering with community organizations and social service agencies to address underlying social issues and developing affordable or free fares for low-income passengers.

The White House published Bipartisan Infrastructure Law State Fact Sheets for U.S. states and territories, as well as a Tribal Fact Sheet. The fact sheets detail progress and announced funding to date, and include several spotlights.
Databases and Tools
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Mobility Energy Productivity Tool (MEP) quantifies the ability of an area's transportation system to connect individuals to goods, services, employment opportunities, and other activities while accounting for time, cost, and energy.

The Center for Neighborhood Technology's (CNT) Housing and Transportation (H+T) Affordability Index shows the cost of housing and the cost of transportation at the neighborhood level. The Index shows how transportation costs vary between and within regions depending on neighborhood characteristics.

The Volpe Center offers a Resilience and Disaster Recovery (RDR) Tool Suite that enables transportation agencies to assess transportation resilience return on investment for specific assets over a range of potential future conditions and hazard scenarios, which can then be used as a consideration in project prioritization processes.

CALSTART's Zero-Emission Technology Inventory (ZETI) Data Explorer allows users to explore, compare, contrast, and visualize data points on specific parameters like vehicle type, region, or technology.
Opportunities
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is offering Rural Economic Development Loan and Grants, which provide funding for rural projects through local utility organizations, and Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program funding for nonprofit organizations and Tribal governments. Applications must be submitted by June 30, 2023.

The application deadline for the FHWA Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund is January 15, 2023. Eligible projects are strategies, activities, and projects on a public road that are consistent with a transportation safety plan and that correct or improve a hazardous road location or feature.

The AARP Purpose Prize recognizes people over 50 who are founders or co-founders of their nonprofit organization and began their work at age 40 or older. Eligible organizations use innovative approaches to an existing or emerging problem. The call for applications is open through February 28, 2023.

FY 2023 AmeriCorps State and National Grants seek to prioritize the investment in organizations leading service in communities with poverty, rural communities, Tribal communities, and those organizations serving historically underrepresented and underserved individuals. The application deadline is January 4, 2023.

Chaddick University invites people to join their Intercity Bus Listserv. Contact Program Manager Abby Mader at [email protected] to apply.
Legislation
FMCSA added appendices to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) to explain existing statutes and regulations related to the financial responsibility regulations to motor carriers of passengers operating in interstate commerce, including limitations based on characteristics of the vehicle operated or the scope of operations conducted. Comments must be received by January 17, 2023.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a Standards of Performance for New, Reconstructed, and Modified Sources and Emissions Guidelines for Existing Sources: Oil and Natural Gas Sector Climate Review Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that includes proposals about sources of leaks, innovative advanced detection methods, establishing a super emitter response program, and states limiting methane pollution from existing designated facilities. Comments must be received on or before February 13, 2023.

S. 1941, the Metropolitan Areas Protection and Standardization Act of 2021 (MAPS Act), which ensures the independence and integrity of the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) core-based statistical area delineations, requires OMB to report on the scientific basis for changes to these delineations, and requires transparency in the uses of core-based statistical area delineations in domestic assistance programs, was signed into law on December 5, 2022.

The System for Award Management (SAM) unique entity identifier used across the federal government changed from a DUNS Number to a Unique Entity ID generated by SAM.gov. The Unique Entity ID is a 12-character alphanumeric ID. Entity registration, searching, and data entry in SAM.gov now require the use of the new Unique Entity ID.

FMCSA proposes to narrow the scope of regulations from which relief is provided automatically for motor carriers providing direct assistance when an emergency has been declared. Factors include issues of Hours of Service (HOS) regulations and what constitutes an emergency that this relief would apply to. Comments must be received on or before February 6, 2023.
Upcoming Events
All event times listed in Eastern Time. Subtract 1 hour for Central Time, 2 for Mountain Time, 3 for Pacific Time, 4 for Alaska, and 6 for Hawaii.

Intertribal Transportation Association (ITA)
Las Vegas, NV, December 6-8
We're presenting and exhibiting!

United Motorcoach Association (UMA)
December 6-8, 1:00-4:00 PM

National Council on Disability (NCD) 
December 8, 12:00–4:00 PM

Eno Center for Transportation
December 8, 1:30-2:15 PM

FTA
December 8, 2:00 PM

Center for Advancing Research in Transportation Emissions, Energy and Health (CARTEEH)
December 8, 2:00-3:00 PM

Southeastern Transportation Research, Innovation, Development and Education Center (STRIDE)
December 9, 12:00-1:00 PM

Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, Texas A&M Transportation Institute, and San Diego State University
December 9, 2:00 PM

American Bus Association (ABA)
December 9, 2:00-3:00 PM

TRB 
December 12, 1:00-2:30 PM

Q'Straint / Sure-Lok 
Dec 13, 12:00-1:30 PM

FORTH
December 13, 1:00-2:00 PM

TRB
December 13, 1:00-2:30 PM

FTA 
Dec 13, 2:00 PM

Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute, North Dakota State University
December 13, 2:00-5:00 PM
Registration Deadline: December 8, 2022

Transit Workforce Center (TWC)
Washington, D.C., December 13-14
We're presenting and exhibiting!

EV Charging Initiative 
December 14

Active Transportation Resource Center
December 14, 1:00 PM

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)
December 14, 1:00-3:15 PM

National RTAP/AASHTO MTAP/NADTC
December 14, 2:00-3:00 PM

American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) and 3M
December 14, 2:00-3:00 PM

Eno Center for Transportation
December 14, 2:00-3:00 PM

Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
December 15, 1:00-2:00 PM

National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE)
December 15, 1:00-2:00 PM

NCHRP 
December 15, 1:00-2:30 PM
No pre-registration needed, just join at the time of the event

TRB
December 15, 1:00-2:30 PM

America Walks
December 15, 2:00 PM

American Bus Association (ABA)
December 16, 1:00-2:00 PM

National Transit Institute
December 19, 1:00-4:30 PM

National RTAP
December 19, 2022, 2:00-3:00 PM

NCHRP 
December 20, 1:00-2:30 PM
No pre-registration needed, just join at the time of the event

Smart Growth America
Washington, DC and virtual, January 7

TRB
Washington, DC, January 8-12
Visit our poster session!

National RTAP
January 9, 2:00-3:00 PM

United Motorcoach Association (UMA)
Orlando, FL, January 11-14

National RTAP
January 24, 2:00-3:00 PM

American Bus Association
Detroit, MI, February 4-7

Smart Growth America
February 7-9

Native Learning Center
Hollywood, FL, Feb 7-9

Transportation Energy Partners
Washington, DC, February 12-15

National RTAP
February 16, 2:00-3:00 PM

Southwest Transit Association (SWTA)
Aurora, CO, February 22-25
Please stop by our booth!

For a listing of all National RTAP and other national events, view our Calendar. Also, see the FTA Events Calendar. To submit an event, email [email protected].
National RTAP | 888-589-6821 | [email protected] | nationalrtap.org