Bryan Heckman

Senior Multimodal Operations Specialist

Bryan has been with MoDOT for 30 years, including 12 in Transit.

He manages the Federal Transit Administration’s Section 5311, which provides assistance for Rural Public Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration’s Section 5339 Bus and Bus Facilities. 

Janette Vomund

Senior Multimodal Operations Specialist

Janette has been with MoDOT since 2013. She has been the program manager for Section 5310, Section 5304 and the Missouri Elderly and Handicapped Transportation Assistance Program (MEHTAP). Janette is currently transitioning into Section 5312 – Research and Development, the annual DAMIS-Drug and Alcohol reporting, Transit Asset Management-TAM Plan and the compliance area of Transit, assisting with oversight and other areas within Transit.

Breeze McCracken

Intermediate Multimodal Operations Specialist

Breeze began her MoDOT career with the Multimodal Division in 2018 and has been with Transit since 2021.

She is currently assisting Bryan Heckman in managing the Federal Transit Administration’s Section 5311, which supports Rural Public Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration’s Section 5339 Bus and Bus Facilities.

Troy Flickinger

Multimodal Operations Specialist

Troy has been with MoDOT for 18 years having worked in Transportation Planning and Motor Carriers Services prior to joining Multimodal in September 2023. He manages the 5310 Senior and Disability Program. 

Angie Otto

Multimodal Operations Specialist 

Angie has been in the Transit section for six months and has 20 years with MoDOT. She manages the MEHTAP and State Operating Transit Assistance, along with Section 5304. 

Nick Volkart

Intermediate Multimodal Operations Technician

Nick has been with MoDOT for three years having worked in Communications prior to Multimodal in March 2024. He oversees the monthly InTransit newsletter, monthly Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) reporting and new vehicle data tracking.

Lisa Sloan

Multimodal Transit Technician

Lisa has eight months of experience working with MoDOT. She oversees processing federally funded vehicle disposition requests. Previously, Lisa worked for The Missouri Department of Revenue for six years with the Motor Vehicle Bureau, specializing in titling, policy and procedure. 

Joyce Lootens

Sr. Office Assistant TPT 

Joyce began her career with MoDOT in the Data Entry section in 1990 and moved into Financial Services – Accounts Payable a few years later. While in the Financial Services Division, she transferred to assist with invoice processing in the Multimodal section. She retired from Financial Services in 2015 and returned to MoDOT with Multimodal Transit to process MEHTAP reimbursement review and process invoices for payment to many agencies with elderly and/or disabled customers. 

 We want to hear from you!

InTransit newsletter is our Monthly Transit Agency spotlight recognizing the awesome things that are happening in the organization. If you would like to submit what your agency is doing, whether it's about your service or highlighting a Transit employee, please submit content to Nicholas.volkart@modot.mo.gov.  

Turn Around, Don't Drown during flood season



This time of year, heavy rainfall can lead to flooding, so please be cautious when driving or walking in flood-prone areas. It only takes six inches of moving water to knock you off your feet and two feet of floodwater can float your car. If you’re driving and come upon rapidly rising waters, turn around and find another route. Visit MoDOT's website for flood safety tips.

Incidents, Accidents and Collisions

If your agency is utilizing volunteer drivers (either driving their personal vehicles or agency vehicles), you should have detailed procedures following any incidents, accidents or collisions.

Incidents include any occurrence where a passenger, pedestrian or your driver could potentially sustain an injury, or your driver observes situations that could be interpreted as risks to vulnerable adults or children requiring reporting.

Having detailed procedures in place will help minimize claims filed against your agency and will provide the driver with clear directions about what the volunteer driver should do in these types of emergency situations. 

How Are Incident Reports Used?

Volunteer drivers should use Incident Reports to document rider/driver accidents or any unusual occurrences (other than vehicle collisions). 

These might include:

1. Interactions with doctors and nurses
2. Gatekeeper information (suspected abuse of a vulnerable adult or child)
3. Rider complaints

Auto Collisions

In the event of an automobile collision, it is especially important that your agency provides volunteer drivers with clear instructions on the procedures to follow.

Agencies utilizing volunteer drivers are encouraged to prepare accident kits for all drivers. A kit should be kept in all vehicles owned by the agency and should be provided to volunteer drivers operating personally owned vehicles. Volunteers should be instructed to follow the procedures contained in the accident kit.

All vehicles operated in passenger transportation should be equipped with first-aid kits and blood borne pathogen cleanup kits. All drivers should be training in first aid/CPR and the use of blood borne pathogen kits in order to prevent infections. (Training was discussed in last month’s article.)

In addition to items used for medical needs, an Accident Kit typically includes:

1. Witness's cards
2. Measurement tool
3. Pen or pencil
4. Chalk
5. Form to diagram accident
6. Emergency numbers and procedures

Procedures and Record Keeping

1. Complete and accurate records of any collision or claim of collision, no matter how slight, must be kept in a permanent file. "Permanent" refers to "as long as is required by law." Drivers should not admit fault to anyone other than the manager (or your agency’s designated supervisor) or police.
2. Any claim of bodily injury or property damage must be reported to the manager (or your agency’s designated supervisor) immediately. Collision reports must be completed by the driver of the vehicle and reviewed by the manager (or your agency’s designated supervisor) within 24 hours.
3. All collisions, no matter how slight, should be reported to the appropriate staff at your agency immediately, and a collision report submitted. However, in the event of a serious collision, the volunteer driver should contact their supervisor (or your agency’s designated supervisor) immediately. A serious collision involves severe property damage, personal injury or the potential for media involvement. 

The Collision Scene

1. In the rare case that a serious or disabling collision occurs, ideally the manager, or designated representative, should immediately go to the scene of the collision to provide support and information. It is the responsibility of the manager to represent the program at the collision scene in a way that avoids any further liability. The manager should bring a camera to the scene to assist with the review process.
2. Agencies utilizing volunteers may want to issue a plastic placard to the volunteer to hang on the rear-view mirror. The card should state: "I am a volunteer driver for the ________ organization. In case of an accident notify the ­­­­­­­­­­_________ organization by calling: (phone #)." If law enforcement authorities can access your organization's two-way communication system, that information should be included on the placard.
3. Because drivers can be injured or become distraught at the scene of a collision, collision procedures and guidelines should be an important part of orientation training for new drivers. It may be beneficial to have these procedures on a clipboard that travels with the volunteer driver, so it is an easy reference during an emotional time.
4. It is important that the driver document who was in his/her vehicle and any vehicle that was involved in the collision. This can be done with a disposable camera which is part of the vehicle's emergency equipment.

Procedures for Managers at the Scene of a Collision

Collisions of any type can be an upsetting situation for the driver. A distraught or injured driver can increase liability for the program by what he/she says at the collision scene. For example, when a driver tells riders or bystanders, "I'm so sorry, it's my fault," the potential for claims made against the program will dramatically increase. The program should pay claim expenses it is responsible for, but it should not pay additional expenses because of erroneous statements made at the scene of the collision.

Managers (or your agency’s designated employee) should consider the following factors when called to the scene of an accident:

1. Assure that riders are accounted for and are receiving proper emergency services.
2. Separate the driver from the collision scene.
3. Make sure the driver is taken for drug and alcohol testing (when policy requires).
4. Speak for the program and the driver.
5. The driver should be available to answer questions from police and other emergency services at the scene.

Media Relations at the Scene of a Collision

Poor media relations at the scene of a collision can cause additional liability. Managers and program representatives should be familiar with and follow procedures when communicating with the media. Guidelines should be in place for employees or volunteers at the scene of a collision. The guidelines may include:

1. Assume the media is present.
2. Project a professional image.
3. Maintain control of the situation.
4. Do not quote hearsay or speculation.
5. Do not accept responsibility for the collision.
6. Explain "no comment" by saying, "I don't have enough information to answer that question accurately."
7. Never speak "Off the Record.”
8. When interviewed on camera or video, carefully select the background. Stand in front of a neutral background, not in front of the crash.
9. Contact the appropriate agency leadership immediately in the event of a serious collision.

Collision Review

A Review Committee, consisting of the manager and other program representatives, should be responsible for reviewing collision reports. In the event of a collision, the committee comes together to review the details of the collision and make recommendations. All collisions must be evaluated for preventability. In each case, preventability is evaluated on the basis of the following statement: "Did the driver do everything reasonably possible to avoid the circumstances that led to this collision?"

Notice of Funding Opportunities

 USDOT SMART Grant NOFO – July 12, 2024, deadline. Stage 1 for the SMART Grant program is now open. The SMART Grants program covers a Stage 1 and Stage 2 process. Applicants must have received a Stage 1 grant to apply to Stage 2.

Joint Office of Energy and Transportation Communities Taking Charge Accelerator Program – July 16, 2024, deadline. About $54 million is available to support projects such as electric transit fleet transition.

EPA Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grants – July 25, 2024, deadline. Up to $932 million is available to support the replacement of Class 6 and 7 heavy duty vehicles (which includes some transit vehicles) with zero-emission vehicles. Funding may also be used for refueling infrastructure, workforce development and training, and project implementation costs. 

Joint Office Clean Bus Planning Award – rolling basis deadline. The program provides free technical assistance to develop fleet electrification transition plans. Eligible applicants include direct or designated recipients of FTA grants and state entities providing bus services.

FTA has set a roadmap for research and demonstrations on transit bus automation for the next five years, updating its strategic plan for how the public transportation industry might implement automated systems.

The Strategic Transit Automation Research (STAR) Plan 2.0 (2023-2028) updates the prior Strategic Transit Automation Research Plan, referred to as STAR Plan 1.0 (2018-2023) released in 2018. STAR Plan 2.0 applies lessons learned from the previous five years of transit automation research and demonstration projects. Key areas of focus for STAR Plan 2.0 are establishing testing standards and setting benchmarks for safety, performance and maintenance for bus automation technologies. Both plans encourage research, demonstrations and engagement as described in the FTA Transit Automation Research Overview.

FTA's STAR Plan 2.0 incorporates input from transit agencies and other stakeholders, including federal agencies, universities, non-profits, research partners and operators. FTA looks forward to engaging with a broad stakeholder community to help transit agencies leverage emerging technologies such as automation to enhance safety and expand mobility for all. 

Mental health impacts everyone and FTA acknowledges its impact on the transit industry and frontline workers. To aid the industry, FTA has updated its mental health webpage with new toolkits, handouts, articles and more for sharing across agencies and networks.

NOW AVAILABLE: New FTA Resources for Reporting Assaults on Transit Workers

FTA has published three new resources that will clarify the new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) requirements for expanded reporting of assaults on transit workers to the National Transit Database (NTD). These resources will help transit agencies: 

• Understand the difference between major and non-major events. 
• Distinguish between physical and non-physical assaults. 
• Know the “Who,” “What” and “Where” of an assault event. 

 New technical resources include: 

• An overview of the expanded reporting requirements. 
• Full Reporters Guide to reporting data on assaults on transit workers.
• Reduced Reporters Guide to reporting data on assaults on transit workers.  

These new resources serve as another tool in FTA’s NTD reporting toolkit and additional details can be found on the new Transit Worker Assault webpage. For additional support related to reporting assaults on transit workers, please contact NTDHelp@dot.gov.  

In May 2024, the Federal Highway Administration published final revisions to the USDOT Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition for Federal and Federally Assisted Programs regulation (the Uniform Act). FTA recently issued implementation guidance concerning revisions to the Uniform Act regulation (49 CFR part 24), which became effective June 3. 

FTA recipients beginning the real property acquisition phase of a project on or after June 3 should ensure they update planning documents and grant recipient policies and procedures related to the acquisition of real property or the displacement of people to ensure they reflect the provisions found in the final rule. For projects in progress, the rule should be implemented consistent with the implementation guidance provided in the Dear Colleague letter.   

July 2024

Annual Vehicle/Mileage Reporting (Section 5310/5311)

Annual Insurance Certification (Section 5310/5311)

Annual Agency Contact Update (Section 5310/5311)

Annual Ridership (METHAP/Section 5310 and Public Transportation)

National RTAP: https://www.nationalrtap.org/

Missouri RTAP: https://mltrc.mst.edu/mortaphome/

National Transit Institute (NTI) https://www.ntionline.com/

National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM) https://nationalcenterformobilitymanagement.org/

Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA): https://ctaa.org/

USDOT Drug and Alcohol: https://www.transportation.gov/odapc

FTA Drug and Alcohol: https://www.transit.dot.gov/drug-alcohol-program

FMCSA Drug and Alcohol: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/drug-alcohol-testing-program

FTA Webinars and Trainings Homepage

National Transit Institute’s Current Course Schedule of Upcoming Training

FTA-Sponsored Training Courses Homepage | FTA Safety Training Page & Enhanced Safety Trainings

TSI Public Transportation Catalogue | TSI Course Schedule PDF

National RTAP Upcoming Webinars

CTAA Training Calendar

APTAU Learning Homepage

NCMM e-Learning Catalogue

Easterseals Project Action Course Schedule

Mineta Transportation Institute Upcoming Webinars



SUMC MLC Learning Modules

For additional questions or concerns:

Administrator of Transit

Christy Evers

573-751-2523

MoTransit@modot.mo.gov

Missouri Department of Transportation | (888) 275-6636

P.O. Box 270 Jefferson City, MO 65102

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