Hello newsletter readers,

If you weren't able to join us, the NCMM hosted a webinar on Feb. 4 that focused on how the public health and public transportation sectors can collaborate to ensure all Americans living in rural and small urban communities are vaccinated. The webinar featured public health experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), as well as experts from transportation, public health, and emergency medical services. 

As vaccines become more widely available, mobility managers like you and the partners you work closely with - like public health and emergency services departments - will be key in making sure those who want the vaccine are able to get it, especially those who often face transportation barriers. 

As Spring approaches and more widespread vaccination opportunities become available, we look for renewed hope and energy on many fronts.

Stay well,

Kirby Wilhelm

(202) 489-6020

Mobility management professionals will have a double-header Tuesday, Nov. 9, at this year's CTAA EXPO, which will be in person! In the morning, you are invited to a half-day Mobility Management Forum from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The morning session will feature two panel presentations: one in which former NCMM grantees talk about the value human-centered design techniques have brought to their work, and the other in which practitioners discuss technological innovations in transportation. Registration information will be posted soon.

In the afternoon, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., mobility management practitioners will join other transportation professionals for an "unconference" on Mobility Innovation. For this session, the attendees drive the agenda-bringing forth issues they would like to learn and share with others in three fast-paced 50-minute sessions.

If you have suggestions for other presentations or workshop content, please email them to Amy Conrick.

Begin preparing now to showcase a poster of your work on the CTAA EXPO Trade Show Floor. The poster sessions give mobility management practitioners a chance to shine, sharing their innovative practices in an informal setting with all EXPO attendees. A stipend [amount TBD] will be provided to all accepted poster presenters. 

This webinar, presented by NCMM, featured public health experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Association of County and City Health Officials. The panel speakers included experts from transportation, public health, and emergency medical services. The presentations focused on assisting the public health and public transportation sectors in identifying ways to collaborate to ensure all Americans living in rural and small urban communities are vaccinated. View the archived videos, slides, and transcript here.

NCMM needs your input on three issues:

1) Add to our table of "incidental use" of FTA funds during the COVID-19 pandemic (see examples here).

2) Add to our table of how mobility managers and transportation agencies are supporting COVID-19 vaccination efforts (see examples here).

3) Respond to the NCMM's Transportation Data Standards Survey, providing input on collecting, reporting, sharing, and coordinating transportation-related data. This survey will also solicit feedback on stakeholders' current and anticipated challenges and opportunities associated with transportation-related data. Access the survey here.

MMC Conversations, a forum for mobility management practitioners to share, connect, and learn from their peers across the United States, hosted a webinar entitled "Virtual Engagement: How Mobility Managers Can Support Coordination and Mobility Management in Exurban and Rural Communities" on Feb. 23. During this webinar, attendees learned about mobility options available for isolated groups, creative incidental use solutions, and best practices around virtual engagement strategies. The webinar recording will soon be posted to NCMM's webinar page.

Many mobility managers and transportation agencies visit their state and federal legislators in early Spring each year to share data on transportation needs and gaps. NCMM has a free, online course that can help guide your activities: "The Role for Advocacy in Mobility Management."

In late February, the NCMM hosted a virtual peer exchange featuring presentations from two AIM grantees: the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT). Both organizations are using their AIM grants to promote customer-centric solutions, focusing on accessibility. You can read more about the event in the Mobility Lines blog, NCMM Peer Exchange: Accelerating Innovative Mobility (AIM) to Promote Customer-Centric Solutions for All.

The Transportation Technical Assistance Coordination Library (TACL) provides a sustainable methodology and platform for access and findability of coordination resources across a diverse range of transportation technical assistance centers and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).

 

The FTA-funded technical assistance centers participating in this ongoing work are:

 

The TACL Task Force uses a systematic review process for resources included in this database.  

 

This conference, designed for bus and paratransit system employees and managers and mobility managers, among others, helps the field address the critical priorities and daily challenges in the ever changing environment in which systems operate today. Participate in interactive virtual sessions highlighting bus maintenance, financial recovery, safety, cybersecurity, cutting edge technologies, zero and low emissions, innovation, diversity and inclusion, and much more. Learn more here.

The Community Transportation Association of America's (CTAA) 2021 EXPO to originally take place in Richmond, Va. on June 14-17 has been rescheduled for Nov. 7-11, 2021. All already purchased registrations will be honored for the new dates. In this upcoming EXPO, a variety of training sessions will be offered, as well as the popular trade show event - showcasing the latest community transportation goods and services. Register for and find out more about the upcoming CTAA EXPO 2021 here.

The goal of the FTA-funded National Center for Applied Transit Technology (N-CATT) is to help transportation agencies sort through the transit tech environment and understand how it impacts your systems. One underlying element that helps make tech decisions is data. N-CATT is planning many resources around data, including a guidebook, webinar, and workshop (sign up to stay up-to-date with the N-CATT newsletter). In preparation for this work, N-CATT is asking transportation professionals to fill out a survey developed with Enterprise Knowledge, so it can better understand the general landscape of data readiness across our current audience. Access the survey here.

The National Center for Applied Transit Technology has released an event update highlighting upcoming workshops and webinars. Of note is the March 9 Webinar: "Data: Collecting, Managing, and Making Decisions." The webinar will discuss the promises and challenges of data, and how transit agencies can harness it to serve their communities. Sign up for this webinar and other events here.

The Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) has created a new e-learning, course, Understanding Passengers Who Have Experienced Trauma for public transportation drivers and those who interact with the general public on a daily basis. Its purpose is to educate drivers on the impacts that past traumatic events can have on individuals and how those impacts may play out in a transportation setting. Sign up for the course here.

Every Thursday at 10 a.m., EST, the TRB will be virtually hosting a scholar to share their high-quality research in this field. The series features a broad topic coverage from planning, behaviors to operations, and intends to engage audiences both within and beyond the transportation community. Thirty minutes of in-depth and inclusive discussions between the speaker and audiences will follow. To register and find out more information, visit the Emerging Mobility Systems and Services website.

This month we travel to India for a heartwarming story featuring public transit.  

Send your transportation photos, videos, and infographics to the NCMM at wilhelm@ctaa.org. 

Mobility Management News is the newsletter of the National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM), which is operated jointly by the Community Transportation Association, the American Public Transportation Association and Easter Seals under a cooperative agreement with the Federal Transit Administration.