Newsletter - May 2023

News and Updates

NEW ATA Website Coming Soon!

Conference Registration Coming This Summer!

The 2023 Arkansas Public Transportation Conference

will be October 23-25 at the Best Western Inn of the Ozarks in Eureka Springs. We look forward to seeing everyone in October. Registration will open this summer.

Conference Updates

In-Person or Online Training Opportunities

Railroad Crossing Safety

(In Person OR Online)

On June 6, ATA is teaming up with Operation Lifesaver to offer a free class on Railroad Crossing Safety. You can attend this class either in person or online. It is designed to increase driver awareness of the potential dangers at highway-rail grade crossings and to ensure the safety of their passengers and themselves. Several situations that resulted in tragedy are reviewed to help drivers learn to make smart decisions as they approach, cross, and drop off passengers near highway-rail grade crossings.

This class will be taught by Operation Lifesaver expert instructor Ron Hale, a 40-year veteran of Union Pacific Railroad

Lift Maintenance Training

(In Person)

ATA is excited to announce a one-day, in-person Lift Maintenance Training class at our Training Center in North Little Rock on June 29. This class will be presented by expert lift technician and long-time lift maintenance trainer David Grant with Grant Service Co. in High Point, NC. He will focus on Braun lifts, but will answer any questions about Ricon lifts.

Course features include:

Classroom teaching and discussion
Hands-on demonstration of information discussed in the classroom
Participants provided with instructor contact information for assistance in the future
Focus on Braun lifts, but instructor will answer questions about Ricon lifts

Member Spotlight

Arkansas Center for Independence Gets New State-of-the-Art Facility

Arkansas Center for Independence (ACI) Executive Director Glenda Rutledge-May recently announced completion of their long-awaited $2.5 million-dollar, state-of-the-art facility in Newport. Located on a little over two and a half acres, the 8,750 square-foot building is situated in the heart of town next to the WRMC Medical Complex. Last Wednesday, ACI held a ribbon cutting and open house to celebrate the new facility and the opportunities that come with it. “When you have a new facility, it opens up opportunities for growth and to provide new experiences and programs for the people you serve. As we continue to grow, we are already planning for the next phase of this organization and future expansion,” said Director May. Click here to learn more about ACI and its new facility.

Alma’s Stepping Stone Hits Milestone with 50 years of Service

The Stepping Stone School for Exceptional Children in Alma celebrated their 50-year anniversary on May 1st. For the last five decades they've provided a wide variety of services for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, as well as their families. Toni Ward, an ATA Board Member, currently serves as the organization's Executive Director, and was an original employee hired by their founding board in 1972. Click here to learn more.

Ozark Regional Transit Going the Extra Mile to Meet Demand

Ozark Regional Transit is ramping up their operations to accommodate growth in the area they serve. Expanding routes, extending hours, increasing staff/fleet, and adopting an on-demand model are some of the actions being taken to drive their services forward. For the full article and a detailed list of changes, click here.

We love shining a spotlight on the good things our members do. If your agency wants to share any recent successes, major changes, or upcoming events, we would like to feature them in ATA's monthly newsletter. To submit items for Member Spotlight, please email Rebecca East at [email protected]

Training Opportunities

All times Central Time

In-Person or Online (Hybrid)

Railroad Crossing Safety with Operation Lifesaver

In-Person Location: Arkansas Transit Association

Online Location: Zoom

Arkansas Transit Association (ATA) in partnership with Operation Lifesaver

June 6, 2023, 10:00-11:00 a.m.

In-Person Only

Lift Maintenance

In-Person Location: Arkansas Transit Association

Arkansas Transit Association (ATA) in partnership with Grant Service Co.

June 29, 2023, 8:00a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Webinars

Transportation Planning Process

Webinar

National Transit Institute (NTI)

May 15-18, 2023, 12:00-4:00 p.m.

General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) Office Hours

Webinar

National RTAP

No pre-registration required; log in at time of webinar

May 18, 2023, 12:00-12:30 p.m.

May 25, 2023, 12:00-12:30 p.m.

June 1, 2023, 12:00-12:30 p.m.

June 8, 2023, 12:00-12:30 p.m.

June 15, 2023,12:00-12:30 p.m.

June 22, 2023, 12:00-12:30 p.m.

June 29, 2023, 12:00-12:30 p.m.

FTA Uniform Act Basics for Transit Personnel

Webinar

National Transit Institute (NTI)

May 18, 2023, 12:00-4:00 p.m.

Project Management for Transit Processionals

Webinar

National Transit Institute (NTI)

May 22-25, 2023, 12:00-3:30 p.m.

Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-Making

Webinar

National Transit Institute (NTI)

May 22-25, 2023, 12:00-4:00 p.m.

Easy Read Text Webinar

Webinar

Self Advocacy Resource and Technical Assistance Center (SARTAC)

June 5, 2023, 3:00-4:00 p.m.

Transportation Resources and Behaviors Among Older Immigrants And Migrants

Webinar

National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC)

June 8, 2023, 1:00-2:00 p.m.

How to Find (Almost) Anything in Transit with the Find Anything Toolkit

Webinar

National RTAP

June 13, 2023, 1:00-2:00 p.m.

Challenges and Successes with Shared‐Use Mobility in Rural, Frontier, and Tribal Areas – Virtual Workshop

Webinar

Notional RTAP

June 29, 2023, 1:00-2:30 p.m.

Training Calendar

Upcoming Conferences

CTAA EXPO

Oklahoma City, OK

May 21-25, 2023

DDPA Compliance Conference

Little Rock, AR

July 18, 2023

SWTA Summer U

Wichita, KS

August 13-16, 2023

APTA TRANSform Conference & EXPO

Orlando, FL

October 8-11, 2023

Arkansas Public Transportation Conference

Eureka Springs, Arkansas

October 23-25, 2023

Resources

Preventing Transit Driver Assault Podcast Series

This podcast series is a helpful look at conflict in and on our community transit systems. By listening to these discussions that provide helpful tips and ideas, transit drivers can do their jobs more safely in urban, rural and tribal transit environments. These nine targeted podcasts are 15 minutes in length and can be used in driver safety meetings, to inform policymakers and to educate the entire transit community on how to ensure our drivers are safe. The podcasts feature a variety of transit leaders, drivers, trainers, and psychologists who focus on the following topics:

What is Assault?
Proactive Prevention
Training Tools
The Importance of Community Connections
Supporting All Involved

FREE On-Demand Course on Exploring Types of Agreements to Guide Your Partnerships

National Center for Mobility Management's (NCMM) new eLearning course on Exploring Types of Agreements to Guide Your Partnerships defines three types of agreements: memorandum of understanding, contracts, and intergovernmental agreements, and explains their differences and situations in which they are most appropriate.

Diversity and Inclusion Organizational Self-Assessment

This National RTAP Diversity and Inclusion Organizational Assessment is designed to help rural transit agencies evaluate their diversity and equity behaviors in the following areas: foundation, leadership, service delivery, communication, and performance.

FREE GIS Tools for Transit Analysis and Map-Making

The National Center for Applied Transit Technology (N-CATT) is offering this free, on-demand, hands-on workshop geared toward transit agency staff, with little to no previous Geographic Information System (GIS) experience, who want to use GIS for analysis or map-making but may not have the resources to use a paid GIS program. It covers:

Introduction to GIS
Fundamentals of GIS
Developing Route & System Maps
Conducting Ridership Analyses
Conducting Market Analysis

More Resources

620 West Broadway Street

North Little Rock, AR 72114

501-372-8900